MUSIC OWL AWARDS: 3rd – music; 3rd – staging

When I went: 11 April 2016

Music Owl Hoot rating: 5/5

Location: The O2, London

Performers: Muse (supported by Phantogram)

Creative team: Muse

Approximate price: £70

Special points: Staging including moving drones

Best bit: Madness / Mercy

If I could change one thing: Better support act

Review:

Muse were amazing when I saw them in 2006 and they surpassed themselves with the Drones concert in 2016. They played some of the material from the Drones album and plenty from previous albums too, and the staging was even better than at Wembley, with slowly moving drones overhead and puppeteered strings appearing to move Matt Bellamy and Chris Wolstenholme as they played their guitars.

There were no weak links in the set list and plenty of effects. There wasn’t much chat with the audience but that didn’t bother me due to the quality of the music and the performance being so special.