When I think back to how I was in school, it seemed like I wasn't quite there, like my body was doing its thing but my mind was elsewhere. But suddenly I feel like I've come into focus, like I can see things for the first time. It's very strange. I feel....new born." Matt Bellamy relates these thoughts in the spacious back lounge of their tour bus, while standing on his head with a gold pen stuck up his nose. With any other singer this would seem like another attention-seeking-affectation; with Bellamy however, it's more an indication of his carefree 'top-of-the-world' state of mind right now. The minute you meet Bellamy and his bandmates Dom Howard and Chris Wolstenholme, you're aware of an unshakeable sense of self-belief that comes with the certain knowledge that you're at the top of your game. Their second album 'Origin of Symmetry' is the most acclaimed British rock album of the year.

And as American bands are given to saying, things are 'all good' for Muse right now. Their second album 'Origin Of Symmetry', is the most acclaimed British rock album of the year. Bassist Wolstenholme has lust learned that he is shortly to become a father for the second time. And right now they're in the middle of their most success­ful, and fun, European tour to date. In fact, the tour has been so much fun that one of the band's friends who was supposed to drop in for a couple of shows 'forgot' to go back to his job as a chidrens' books editor and promptly got the sack.

Where most of their British peers are unknown in mainland Europe, Muse are currently selling out 2,500-capacity venues across the continent. The fact that they are being supported by Feeder - a band whose last album entered the UK charts at number 5 - gives you an indication of the Devon trio's status.

Today. the sixth of six Scandinavian dates finds Muse in wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen, home of the Linle Mermaid, the world famous Tivoli Gardens and the best lager in the world. Probably. Drummer Dom Howard is downstairs on the bus making microwave popcorn when our interview begins.Upstairs in the back lounge, I remark to Bellamy and Wolstenholme how tidy and clean their home is. "That's because for the first time, we're not sharing with out crew." answers Bellamy. And hows that been working out? "Great." Bellamy smiles, with a noticeable twinkle in his eyes "Especially when it comes to having guests." How have the guests been?

"You'd have to ask Dom that." Matt grins "He'll deny it of course, but I've got video footage to prove it. I played it to him the other day and he didnt even recognise his own dick. He thought it was me, I was quite insulted actually." Yeah right.... "No seriously, after a party one night I went back to the dressing room and it was all dark. I heard some strange squelching noises in the corner, so I went out and got a video camera with night vision on it. I went back and got the last 10 seconds just as he went...."There are some things in life I never thought I'd see: the fall of the Berlin Wall, a cessation of violence in Northern Ireland or a British Deputy Prime Minister punching a man with a mullet, for instance. And right up there on the sliding scale is the vision of Matt Bellamy enthusiastically miming cumming on a girl's back. "I got the money shot on tape," he spluners. "Can you believe that?" Before I can answer Dom strolls into the lounge, looking bemused by the peals of laughter around the bus. "Whats going on here then?" he asks, a look of wide eyed innocence on his face. Frankly, I had been asking myself the same question.

Rewind three hours. Bellamy Wolstenholme and Howard are larking about in the sunshine, taking the piss out of one another as they skim stones across the sur­face of a lake. We're in Christiania, a former military base on an island in the centre of Copenhagen, which is home to a diverse set of Danish citizens - anarchist punk~ dope- smoking hippies, left-wing radicals and tax dodging drop-outs. The sign at the entrance to the compound reads 'You Are Now Leaving The EEC'. Once inside, we're faced with what looks like a graffiti-heavy version of Camden Market with stalls selling jewellery, tie-dye T-shirts and bongs. There is one important differ­ence, though: after we're approached by a scruffy young man who tells us that pho­tographs are forbidden in certain parts of the compound, we realise that every other stall is selling a bewildering variety of soft drugs. Want to buy skunk, Nepal or Marok in Copenhagen? This is the place to come. "We've been in Copenhagen before but never had the time to come here," says Dom, as his bandmates wander over to a stall to purchase a bag of the city's renowned magic mushrooms. "It has a cool linle vibe. Today is apparently a fairly typical day for Muse on this particular tour. The band haven't been overly burdened with promo­tional adivities, and consequently have had more time to check out the sights of the places they've visited. Rome's Coliseum is their top tip for sightseers~ although this is possibly because they have been watching 'Gladiator' on DVD every night on the bus. This also helps explain the Oliver Reed impressions that Bellamy launches into throughout this afternoon.

It's quite hard to get a good fix on Matt Bellamy. You sense that talking to journalists isnt high on his list of favourite activities but he is polite and courteous without being overly warm. He's clearly a smart guy, but then he'll make comments like "Any man that doesnt want to fuck around, isnt a real man." without any trace of irony. By his own admission he can be "a really moody bastard", but today he seems to have a childlike delight in everything he sees.

As we stroll around Chriscania, I mention to the singer that someone I know reckons that Man's friends think that success has changed him, alleging that the singer has changed his e-mail address and won't take calls from old friends now. "I've only ever had a few good friends, most of whom are on this tour,' Matt says with a bemused expression. "I did change my e-mail address, but that was because I was getting people writing to me saying that they were going to kill themselves if I didn't fuck them. I changed my phone number too... or rather I threw away my mobile because I got a bill for £1,BOO for one month because I was answering calls from strangers when I was in foreign countries. I threw it in the water and phoned up Vodafone and said, 'Stick it up your fucking arse'." At the risk of receiving a similar response, I ask Matt about the comments by Kelly Jones from Stereophonics who said some­thing along the lines of 'that bloke's got his head up his arse - he should get laid more'. "Yeah, I've got to get laid more," Matt laughs sardonically. "I wish I could get laid as much as Kelly Jones. He's so cool. Actually we played a couple of gigs with them and he was a nice guy. I don't know what I've done to offend him. But I'm not losing sleep." at tonight's venue, the Pumpehust, is a sight to behold. Decorated with cactuses, giant white balloons and bunches of flowers, it looks like 'Changing Rooms' fop Laurence Liewelyn-Bowen's take on Tex-Mex chic. Appropriately, the band run through their soundcheck wearing huge sombreros. Chris is strumming out Weezer's 'Say It Ain't So' on an acoustic guitar, while Matt walks around the centre of the room by the mixing desk, playing the riff from Rage Against The Machine's 'Killing In The Name'. The band have a TV interview scheduled immediately afterwards. We leave them to it.

After the stint infront of the cameras Matt is still in a mischievous mood. On the bus he talks about skinny-dipping in Italy and drug taking in Amsterdam and is anything but the intense young man might expect him to be. When I mention this the singer just shrugs and says "are music is so intense so we need something to balance it out by playing more", and notes that some­times it's easier lust to be two-dimensional. "

Despite the singers candour, there are clearly stories from this tour we are not allowed to hear. At times it seems Bellamy is about to talk about some really juicy gossip, only to bite his tongue when his bandmates flash him a warning stare. For instance when the subject of socialising with Feeder arises, Bellamy stutters "They're good guys, we get on with them really well. Ermm...we shouldnt go there. Should we go there? No, we definately shouldnt go there."

The band are noticeably less coy when I enquire about their post-gig mutineL "Yeah, we try to get as many women in the shower as possible, then film it and whack it on this bad boy here,' Dom says, slapping the TV beside him. "But tonight we'll probably keep it nice and quiet," deadpans Bellamy. "We'll have a little glass of wine and talk about how we could improve our show."

If this is quiet, I'd hate to see them when all hell is breaking loose. Aboard Muse's tour bus, after a rapturously received show, things are anything but calm. Rage Against The Machine's second album is pumping out of the stereo, tequila and magic mushrooms are being passed around and in full view of the bus's occupants, a Danish girl is sitting on the toilet with her knickers around her ankles. Upstairs, six of the most attractive women I've ever seen are draped around assorted band members and crew. We knew it was going to get messy when we over heard one of the crew earlier tell three outrageously beautiful Icelandic blondes that tonight theres a competition to see who can do the most outrageous act on video. But this? Chris, the bands resident cocktail master, mixes vodka and tequila with cherry mixer, while Matt begins to get intimately acquainted with two - that's two - new friends. Couples start drifting off and Dom pulls out the camera, turning to me and asks me to swear that I'm seeing absolutely nothing. Implying that if I print anything that shows the band in a unflattering light, they'll sue.

I'd love to tell you the full juicy details, I really would, but the truth is as things start to heat up in the back lounge, I make excuses with a face blazing with embarressment. The point when hands start disappearing up skirts is a good indication that my presence is no longer needed. All I'll say is that if you ever come across a tape titled "Muse: Copping off in Copenhagen" it'll make that Pammy and Tommy video look like a pre-watershed ITV sitcom.

Before I leave, Matt disengages himself from his nubile Icelandic companions and bounds over with a smile. "This feels like this is our time." he grins "It's not about how well we're doing as a band or anything, it just feels like whatever we'd have done with out lives, this would be the best time ever. And it would be stupid of us not to go for it." Matt looks around at the people around him and smiles with the faintest trace of guilt. "Err..go easy on us, yeah?" he laughs. "This is just...fun."