This Muse bass cover will inspire you to donate your instrument to the nearest fire

Charles Berthoud performs Muse's Hysteria on bass
(Image credit: Charles Berthoud | YouTube)

Charles Berthoud eats, sleeps, and breathes the bass. The covers and original compositions that populate his YouTube channel have earned him 1.3 million subscribers and counting. 

Unlike some YouTubers, he doesn't take himself too seriously. His channel aims "to create a positive bass community where all musicians can be inspired, learn from each other and make each other laugh".

In fact, it was only recently where we marvelled at his cover of Slipknot's Duality, inspiring those who tinker with the ol' four-string to dust off their instrument and maybe learn some musical theory or something. Those who don't play an instrument, merely began to look the other way and allow a solitary tear to cascade down their cheek. 

In his latest post, 'When Muse Only Give You 60 Seconds To Audition', Berthoud tackles a cover of the Devon alt-rock trio's 2003 song Hysteria. Not only does he play Chris Wolstenholme's tasty bass line, we think he throws in some of Matt Bellamy's guitar parts and vocal melodies, too, all with two hands. It's a bit of a blur but it's impressive all the same. Extra points for having an LED-illuminated bass, too.

"Just play this!" he writes, probably while playing at the same time. "Muse are one of my favourite bands and this bass line has to be one of the most powerful in modern rock!"

He's not wrong. Check it out below.

Muse themselves – who need three people to play their own songs – will tour North America's arenas next spring in support of their latest album Will Of The People

Evanescence will be special guests on the trek, which takes in the following dates: 

Feb 25: Chicago United Center, IL
Feb 26: Minneapolis Target Center, MN
Feb 28: Austin Moody Center, TX
Mar 02: Houston Toyota Center, TX
Mar 03: Fort Worth Dickies Arena, TX
Mar 07: Columbus Nationwide Arena, OH
Mar 09: Toronto Scotiabank Arena, ON
Mar 11: Quebec City Videotron Centre, QB
Mar 14: Montreal Bell Centre, QB
Mar 17: New York City Madison Square Garden, NY
Mar 19: Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center, PA
Apr 02: Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, AZ
Apr 04: Ball Arena, Denver, CO
Apr 06: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Apr 08: Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena, NV
Apr 10: San Diego Pechanga Arena San Diego CA
Apr 12: Anaheim Honda Center, CA
Apr 16: Portland Moda Center, OR
Apr 18: Seattle Climate Pledge Arena, WA
Apr 20: Salt Lake City Vivint Arena, UT

Simon Young

Born in 1976 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Simon Young has been a music journalist for over twenty years. His fanzine, Hit A Guy With Glasses, enjoyed a one-issue run before he secured a job at Kerrang! in 1999. His writing has also appeared in Classic RockMetal HammerProg, and Planet Rock. His first book, So Much For The 30 Year Plan: Therapy? — The Authorised Biography is available via Jawbone Press.