​Moriaty get ready for supermassive Muse show

[JessicaSarahS]

Clare Robinson finds out how Devon rockers ended up supporting one of the biggest bands in the world...

 

IT MUST be every local band's dream to get a call out of the blue asking whether they'd be available to support one of the biggest bands in the world.

 

In fact most would probably sell their soul for the opportunity.

 

But when Jordan of Moriaty got the call from Muse bass player Chris Wolstenholme asking at relatively short notice whether he'd be free to support them in Exeter, he had to give it some serious thought.

 

The Psycho tour, featuring a newly-released track of the same name from Muse's forthcoming album, Drones, is a low-key 'thank-you' for fans, which stops off at Exeter Great Hall tonight.

 

"We were having a bit of a break in playing live because my girlfriend is heavily pregnant and is due around the time of the gig," says Jordan.

 

Jordan and Matt, aka Moriaty, completed their UK tour which went up as far as Glasgow and Edinburgh, earlier this year, to make absolutely sure that they'd be back in plenty of time for the new arrival.

 

"Fortunately, because the show is in Exeter, very close to home and Exeter hospital, we decided to go for it.

 

"We're just really hoping that the baby doesn't come early and coincide with the show.

 

"If it does I just won't be able to do the gig – there's nothing more important than the birth of your child and I really want to be there for it."

 

It's highly unlikely, but if it does happen, Chris will most probably understand.

 

He is the father of six children and his family is still based in Teignmouth, the town where he and his childhood chums, Matt Bellamy and Dom Howard formed a trio that really would go on to enjoy world domination.

 

In those days Muse used to perform all over the South West, playing several times at the Cooperage in Plymouth and various other venues in the city, usually to just a handful of bemused onlookers.

 

"Chris married Kelly around the time they got signed," says Jordan, "and she's his rock.

 

"She's a really sweet earth-mother and he talks to her about everything.

 

"I think he had a major dilemma when his first child was due – whether to go on tour with the band to Germany or lose his place in the band. In the end he went..."

 

The Exeter show won't be the first opportunity Jordan has had to support Muse.

 

When the Teignmouth trio played the Eden Project back in 2006, Hey Molly, Jordan's former band, won a competition to be a warm-up act.

 

"We kept in contact after that and Chris actually drummed for us once when our drummer was away."

 

Hey Molly were then invited to support Muse when they performed on Teignmouth sea front in 2009.

 

"That was a fantastic, experience, a day I'll never forget," continues Jordan.

 

"I remember at one point getting 10,000 people clapping along to one of our songs.

 

"Chris came to see Moriaty when we got back from a tour in the Alps recently and invited us to do some recording in his studio, in between touring and recording the new album."

 

He ended up producing a couple of tracks for them, including Bones, on which he played bass and appeared in their accompanying video thereby attracting huge attention to the track.

 

"We feel a great debt of gratitude that he has taken such an interest in us – it's a massive compliment," says Jordan.

 

Like everyone else who is lucky enough to have secured tickets to this gig, which was only announced last week, Jordan is hugely excited about seeing new Muse material performed live.

 

Given that it was produced by Mutt Lange who worked on Back In Black for AC/DC and they're booked to headline Download, it's no surprise this Muse offering is going to be a heavy one.

 

"I'm just blown away by Psycho, the track they've released – its exactly what you want from Muse, dirty rock'n'roll with big beefy riffs.

 

"The electronic stuff and the orchestral stuff is magnificent but Psycho is what we want from them and that's what we've got."

 

It's not radio-friendly because of the lyrical content and that's probably quite deliberate.

 

"With 20 million plus fans, they can do what they like which gives them far more scope creatively. And really they're an album band, not a singles band anyway."

 

Drones, available to pre-order now, is out on June 8.

 

Friday, March 20, Exeter University Great Hall. All tickets are sold out

 

 

Read more at http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/8203-Moriaty-ready-supermassive-Muse/story-26205180-detail/story.html#ZT4lVPHOGw4iimFe.99

[Bumpypotato]

Chris is a cool dude.

[JessicaSarahS]

Chris is a cool dude.