Live review: Muse, London O2 Academy Brixton

“I think we played here 25 years ago,” suggests Matt Bellamy halfway through Muse's 20-song set, as he prepares to launch into New Born, a song that took the roof off this venue back then (“When we were just kids”) and does exactly the same now. Albeit with the riff from Deftones’ Headup thrown in for good measure.

Somehow the three members of Muse – Matt, bassist Chris Wolstenholme and drummer Dom Howard – appear much the same a quarter of a century later. Perhaps they’ve done some kind of deal with The Devil whereby in the build-up to the release of a new opus, the Teignmouth trio play an intimate show in exchange for eternal youth. This time around it’s a surprise engagement at Brixton, announced just two weeks ago alongside news of their forthcoming 10th album, The Wow! Signal.

Of course, given this hall’s 5,000-fan capacity, ‘intimate’ is a relative term when the band in question are accustomed to gracing the most expansive spaces. In truth, Muse outgrew this one when they played two nights here in May 2001, so one of the pleasures this evening is seeing how they scale down their operations. There’s an additional frisson of excitement given that this is their first show since last September, after the abrupt cancellation of dates in Abu Dhabi, South Africa and India in February due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’. The moment Hysteria’s rubbery thrum of a bassline begins, then, there’s a rush of emotions, joy chief among them.

Even stripped of their more elaborate technical toys, Muse know how to do more with less, though their version of less is still Pink Floyd compared to most bands. The tall vertical screens behind them punctuate Map Of The Problematique with brilliant blue strips that look like the mapping of genomes, while the emerald green glow emanating from beneath Dom’s kit suggests its riser is fashioned from kryptonite.

“Do you fancy a new song?” enquires Matt to cheers, as Muse are one of the few bands from whom that question yields excitement. However, the resulting Cryogen, receiving its world premiere, doesn’t quite land as you imagine it should. Perhaps because it’s been preceded by such well-established favourites, but its switches between harmonic and discordant moments feel too chaotic to ‘get’ on first listen. It’s unclear if this is by design or execution, though, given that the sound quality is absolutely pristine.

The two other cuts from The Wow! Signal fare much better. Unravelling’s juxtaposition of sultry electronics and rifferama justifies the evening’s first use of pyro, while prog-hymn Be With You swaps tongues of fire for confetti and streamers.

Those new songs have plenty of time to establish themselves in fans' affections once The Wow! Signal is released in June. Maybe one day they can attain the status of New Born, the arrival of which heralds a stretch of songs that could go toe-to-toe with any band, anytime.

Plug In Baby is proof positive that the more things change, the more they stay the same, with Matt still able to whip a crowd into a frenzy by teasing those fuzzed-up opening notes. Unintended harks back to 1999’s debut album, Showbiz, albeit with a little added oomph thanks to touring keyboardist (and production guru) Dan Lancaster. Perhaps Unintended is a casualty of recency bias, but it isn’t received with the reverence it deserves, initially at least, though its gorgeousness ensures it gets its flowers by the end. Meanwhile, the combo of United States Of Eurasia, Supermassive Black Hole, Uprising and Knights Of Cydonia superserves the dopamine.

As a result of this sustained period of magnificence, the encore’s switch from dynamic to dreamy (The 2nd Law: Isolated System, Undisclosed Desires) may have been deemed necessary to cool things down before sending the masses out into the streets of south London. Does anyone need that let up, though? Given that they don't do Stockholm Syndrome, Butterflies And Hurricanes, Bliss or Assassin – to name just a few – one might suggest this is a perfect performance of an imperfect setlist. That’s a greedy fan’s quibble, mind.

Regardless, Starlight is the perfect send-off, its clappable beat unifying everyone, while the lyric ‘Now I’ll never let you go / If you promise not to fade away’ could well be about the decades-long embrace between Muse and their fans, which shows no sign of diminishing.

“We’ll see you in November,” teases Matt. You’re damn right, you will, whatever it is they’re cooking up. And hopefully back at Brixton in another 25 years, when everyone will presumably be wearing LED waistcoats like Matt…

The Wow! Signal is released on June 26 via Warner / Helium-3.