And that's certainly the case with Muse, and their do-or-die brand of over-the-top preposti-rock. But because they've always come across like such moody, bug-eyed and intense characters, you could forgive any Muse fan for trying to swallow down their perfectly natural giggles, particularly at the points when Matt Bellamy seems to be trying to chisel their ears off with a lethally sharp combination of twiddly guitar and outlandish volume.

But it's OK! Apparently the band are in on the joke after all, as Matt told the Telegraph this week: "There's a definite Englishness to what we do, playing with eccentric ideas. Sometimes, even I step back and go: 'That's a bit silly, isn't it?' Maybe calling a song 'Knights of Cydonia' is, in itself, acknowledging that this is a bit funny, particularly when we are pushing the epic side of the band to almost comical levels."

Er...ALMOST??

He went on: "Bands tend to take themselves very seriously, but we often turn into a bunch of giggling schoolboys when we're together, because we were giggling schoolboys when we started. I think the giggle factor is quite healthy. Both on stage and in the studio, there's an element of not really giving a damn. There's a lot of freedom in being able to laugh at yourself."

NEXT WEEK: Chico confesses! "I actually LIKE being this punchable..."