The band has three members: Matthew Bellamy (singer, guitarist and keyboardist), Chris Wolstenholme (bassist) and Dominic Howard (drummer and percussionist). Bellamy is the principal songwriter and creative influence in the band, although some of the band's more recent material has also been credited to Wolstenholme and Howard. While some describe them as a post-Britpop band, Muse staunchly deny such associations. The music which inspired them was not Britpop; they cite the influence of the American grunge music (exemplified by Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden), combining such influences with the alternative and experimental approach of British groups like The Verve and Radiohead. Whereas American rock bands tend to be more straightforward, Muse consider themselves to be a part of the large group of more "experimental" British rock bands.