magazine Musique Info (France) : Muse biggest rock band?

[Exoval]

Hi guys,

There is an article about the band in French pro mag Musique Info.

As I have no scan today, I only put my translation for it here (and join the only pic in it underneath).

(All given numbers are for French market only).

 

Translated from French:

 

Muse : Biggest rock band ?

In 11 years Muse has regularly grown and is now topping it all.

The band, led by Matthew Bellamy, is the only one from this generation that can really compete against U2, Radiohead or Coldplay when it comes to album sales and filling up 2 Stade de France.

 

July 1999, 3 young English men in their early twenties land in Paris for their first concert in the New Morning. 11 years later, after having played La Cigale, The Olympia, The Zenith, Bercy and the Parc des Princes small stadium Muse sell out twice the Stade de France with also 650 000 sold copies of their latest and 5th album The Resistance under their belt (against 330 000 copies for their previous one BH&R, these two albums distributed by WEA/Warner).

This album was dismissed by Pierre Siankowski in the French Magazine Les Inrockuptibles with a strong statement: “Better having swine flu than Muse”. Muse and their label responded to this in the same magazine with a big add announcing their triple platinum achievement along with their 2 sold out dates. Les Inrockuptibles Chief Editor JD Beauvallet states that their concerts have become only “lights & sound display”, their albums pompous but however admits that “they cannot be overlooked as they turned lots of kids to rock. There is some thinking behind the music, even though the lyrics are sometimes quite naïve. There is a fascinating superhuman side to it, an exaggerated version of Radiohead or a mutant version of Queen”.

 

Youg people & older ones

While their latest opus has stayed in the top 10 French music charts since its release, the band also topped the back catalogue charts this summer selling over 100 000 copies of their previous records between June and August.

Pierre Veillet, founder of music magazine Rock One, talks about their career : “At the beginning they were being signed on different independent labels in Europe, Naïve Records for France, and this label work paid off (WEA signed the band in 2006 and got their back catalogue along the way). The singer’s personality is a big part of the success as well. He has both this incredible technical dexterity and charisma, but he also got the public sympathy as there is no over the top rock star behavior with him. France, their biggest market at the beginning, has now once again regained its lead position in term of sales, ahead of the UK.

 

Alain Veille, WEA General Manager for France, confirms that the band is not only making progress but really “exploding” nowadays, stating that it’s most likely due to Naïve Records previous work, but also due to 2 other facts: the singles on Twilight movies, and the radios. Until The Resistance the band was hardly getting any airplay as they had no real hit singles while there are 3 of them on this album, singles being picked up by major national and regional radios along with rock ones. “This allowed the band to broaden their public, getting noticed not only by teenagers but also by older generations”.

 

Didier Bouchend’homme, NRJ Radio Station Manager, who already programmed Muse in 2003 when he was just a local radio DJ, adds: “In order to be played on NRJ the band had to prove itself. Like for Linkin Park or Red Hot Chili Peppers it took some time but once on the right track they got massive airplay and the somehow lack of their musical style on all major radio made them stand up against the rest, and that’s how they got noticed”.

It is also their stage ability that led the 3 British men to where they are, with now heavy shows on the road (70 trucks for the Stade de France). “They are the first young band able to fill up stadiums, able to do what U2 and The Rolling Stones have been doing for years” states Dominique Revert from Alias, their French concert production company. “They have nailed it down with people over 40 years old, people who were not really their fans but who now understand what a big live act they are”.

 

Muse, who are not only a great but a “generous” live act too, braving difficult live outdoor conditions (such as pouring rain at the Vieilles Charrues Festival) for their public, are ending their European tour and will now hit the US and Australia.

 

[Mrs Wolstenholme]

The part about the editor of the Inrockuptibles made me giggle....

[Natalia]

Thank you Valerie!!

[aline_d]

Great! Thanks a lot!

 

This album was dismissed by Pierre Siankowski in the French Magazine Les Inrockuptibles with a strong statement: “Better having swine flu than Muse”.

 

Alain Veille, WEA General Manager for France, confirms that the band is not only making progress but really “exploding” nowadays, stating that it’s most likely due to Naïve Records previous work, but also due to 2 other facts: the singles on Twilight movies, and the radios.

 

I wish you a very good swine flu this year, Pierre Siankowski *stupid*

 

"Les Inrockuptibles Chief Editor JD Beauvallet states that their concerts have become only “lights & sound display”, their albums pompous but however admits that “they cannot be overlooked as they turned lots of kids to rock. There is some thinking behind the music, even though the lyrics are sometimes quite naïve. There is a fascinating superhuman side to it, an exaggerated version of Radiohead or a mutant version of Queen”."

Yes suuuuuuuuuure

 

Nooooooooooooooooooooo - not in France! I can't believe it

[Tofu]

Thank you very much for the translation.

[Exoval]

You're all welcome

 

Oh, btw, i hope you also enjoyed the "exaggerated version of Radiohead or a mutant version of Queen" bit in the article

[dead-duck]

Thanks for the translation I saw your tweets earlier about the band's catalogue positions - that's really something!