Muse, The Dirty Secrets @Supreme Court Gardens, Perth(10/11/2007)

Fri 9th Nov, 2007 in Gig Reviews

The world almost came to an end on Saturday night. For four albums now, Muse have been predicting the apocalypse through their eccentric sci-fi rock sounds and epic grandeur, and on this night, the thousands that filled out Perth’s Supreme Court Gardens were ready for the sky to fall in. They could have all died and gone to heaven, vocalist Matthew Bellamy ’s elegant voice leading them to the light. Unfortunately, getting there meant trekking through the aurally amazing but hellish moments of an interrupted set with Perth’s very own The Dirty Secrets.

The Dirty Secrets, proud collectors of the Muse support, played some fantastic songs to a grand audience that caused vocalist Jarrah McCleary to comment “fuck, there’s a lot of you”. Disappointingly, as the crowd pressed forward in preparation for the ensuing enlightenment that was Muse, the crowd barrier proved a problem, and for about 40 minutes, The Dirty Secrets had to leave the stage while Muse’s crowd control, with their fresh British accents, ordered the Aussie punters to stand back while they rebuilt the barrier. Finally returning all too late, The Dirty Secrets brought their indie-dance-rock to a shortened ending with impressive cuts of singles My Heart is On Fire and Five Feet of Snow.

With the bittersweet title of the most isolated capital city in the world, Perth had only seen Muse four times prior to the night, with Big Day Out shows in 2004 and 2007, as well as headline gigs on the Absolution tour (2004) and way back in 2000, for Showbiz. This was Perth’s chance to see the three-piece in their full glory since climbing to their world-respected height, on an enormous stage with five video screens displaying everything from twinkling stars and dancing robots through to live feeds of the band in action. This was more than just a gig: it was sci-fi rock in all its glamour and glory. Smoke jets, a drum riser covered in lights and a grand piano featuring similar lights that flashed with every note – everything was sparkle and awe.

Preaching from the pulpit of double platinum-selling Black Holes and Revelations, the trio conducted their audience in a rock concert ceremony commemorating the demise of a world falling slowly into chaos, edging closer to the apocalypse, a theme prevalent amongst their entourage of tunes. Opening with Take a Bow as their peculiar intro, the band made themselves welcome and geared up for Map of the Problematique and New Born as mulit-coloured lasers shot out in all directions turning the mosh into a glowstick-waving dance party. Bellamy’s showmanship owned the stage, making up for his limited height while oversized bassist Chris Wolstenholme and drummer Dom Howard contented in their roles of supporting actors to the eccentric frontman.

Butterflies and Hurricanes showed up before too long, perhaps too elegant to match with the chaos theory from which it draws its name. In typical Muse style, the trio interrupted their own song with a moment of unexpected jamming before Bellamy took to his clear perspex-topped grand piano, rivalling Beethoven in a classic solo show off moment, collapsing into full band chaos and a frightening blast from a half-dozen smoke jets, before returning to the song as we know it.

Citizen Erased featured soon after, Bellamy not afraid to stray from the original guitar parts to improvise impressively with the seven-string guitar known for that very song. Soldier’s Poem made an unexpected appearance, along with an acoustic guitar. Unfortunately, though, the sound of the three-piece has outgrown their stage limits, and Morgan Nicholls, the man originally drafted in to play Wolstenholme’s parts after the bassist’s 2004 wrist injury, aided the band with shakers, sampling, keyboards, a glockenspiel and some random knob adjusting throughout their set, while remaining elusive at the side of stage.

The show featured a good selection from all albums, with Sunburn peeking in as the oldest, and even Fury, the B-side on the Sing for Absolution single, though most of the crowd met its opening chords with blank stares. Time is Running Out, Stockholm Syndrome and Hysteria, all from Absolution album, were met with a chorus of vocals courtesy of the crowd, giving Bellamy the chance to step back from the microphone and let the eager, sweaty audience take over.

Closing with a chaotic mess of noise, the trio disappeared for a short break, before returning with Plug in Baby, featuring giant white balloons that made their way over the crowd, bursting only to shoot red confetti over the fans below. Closing their encore, they dealt the much-anticipated Knights of Cydonia with perfection, a climactic ending to a perfect night.