Rather aptly following last year’s release of their seventh album Drones, Quartz have reported that vocalist and guitarist Matt Bellamy of psychedelic rock band Muse has invested in The Drone Racing League, which so far has gathered investments totaling at £5.6million. The Drone Racing League hopes to make drone racing, which involves air borne vehicles being built and piloted around a stadium as fast as possible, a popular spectator sport.

Muse, who are infamous for their energetic live performances and stage presence, released Drones in June 2015. Drones has a tracklist of 10 songs, following a narrative about a protagonist’s struggles resisting modern warfare, with strong anti-military political undertones featured throughout. With this in mind, it seems likely that Bellamy’s investment in The Drone Racing League is on the basis of artful album promo rather than financial profit.

The band have recently embarked on a world tour, beginning in Mexico in November 2015, to promote the album. The ambitious tour boasts an innovative stadium design, with a 360 degree stage consisting of a circle in the centre with two runways, as well as a set-list that averages at 28 songs per show and 16 custom-made drones designed to hover above the audience. Speaking about the tour, Bellamy explained;

“It’s our version of [Pink Floyd’s] The Wall, basically.”

The Drones world tour hits the UK in April, with extra dates having been added last September due to popular demand. The dates for the UK leg of their world tour are as follows:

08/04/16 – Manchester, UK – Manchester Arena

09/04/16 – Manchester, UK – Manchester Arena

11/04/16 – London, UK – London O2 Arena

12/04/16 – London, UK – London O2 Arena

14/04/16 – London, UK – London O2 Arena

15/04/16 – London, UK – London O2 Arena

17/04/16 – Glasgow, UK – SSE Hydro

18/04/16 – Glasgow, UK – SSE Hydro