AN expectant, capacity crowd welcomed back Muse to Manchester four years since their last visit.

The trio from Teignmouth appeared among the dry ice as flag wavers left to the stage, Matthew Bellamy shiny in a silver suit, Dominc Howard in a science fiction, collarless all-in-one and Chris Wolstenholm in a three-quarter-length stripy jacket.

The set towered over the stage. Resembling the corner of a flat roof building, it was the focus for a feast of flashing cartoon graphics and live feed of the action.

Muse began, as expected, with Uprising and soon got into their frantic rhythm with the superb Supermassic Black Hole.

An oasis of calm came over the audience as the boys played Guiding Light, with the unexpected explosive release of giant streamers drifting off in the evening breeze.

Fans were soon plunged into more energy as Muse played Hysteria and marvelled as Bellamy finished it with Back in Black by AC/DC.

Matthew took to the piano and the megaphone with the stylish Feeling Good and the delighted fans swayed.

He then stroked the guitar neck to achieve the ghostly intro to Resistance.

The biggest response on the night greeted Muse’s last song, Knights of Cydonia.

Bellamy had changed into a flashing red and blue suit and wore peculiar blue light glasses.

With an energy sapping drum solo, head-banging bass player and a lead guitar played like Pete Townsend of The Who, it was a wacky mix of prog and punk rock, with a splash of the 80s.