Hope of the States

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Hope of the States
Background information
Origin Flag of England Chichester, England
Genre(s) Indie rock, post rock
Years active 2000 - 2006
Website www.hopeofthestates.co.uk
Members
Sam Herlihy
Michael Hibbert
Simon Jones
Michael Siddell
Anthony Theaker
Paul Wilson
Former members
Jimmi Lawrence

Hope of the States were a post rock-influenced indie band from Chichester in England.

Contents

[edit] Members

All instruments are as listed in the sleeve notes for the band's second album Left.

[edit] Former Member

[edit] History

The group named themselves after a 1930s paper on the state of the mental health system in the USA. They were discovered after sending a demo to the Planet Sound teletext page and were signed to Sony BMG. The band survived tragedy (guitarist James Lawrence committed suicide in January 2004[1], widely reported in the international press) and achieved critical acclaim with their album The Lost Riots which went straight into the UK Top 40 album chart. The first single, Black Dollar Bills, was packaged in a hessian sleeve, each hand-sewn by a band member and later a collectors' item. Though the band's musical roots were in the heavily instrumental post-rock tradition of bands such as Mogwai, the album saw them blending this, to the disappointment of some, with more conventional indie rock fare.

The band's most extensive UK tour started in October 2004, beginning with a date in Belfast's Mandela Hall.

Much of 2005 was spent in the recording studio, with only 6 live sets played, as the band worked hard on their follow up to The Lost Riots. An acoustic performance in London gave glimpses of many songs which Sam confirmed will accompany the group's second album, Left.

The band worked with fansite 'The Halfway Home' to produce an advent calendar for the runup to Christmas 2005. The only studio recording released in 2005 was the final day's surprise, the song 'Shalom'.

In April 2006 the band released a new EP, Blood Meridian, accompanied by a low-key UK tour which began in the Leeds Cockpit. The EP was limited to 2000 copies, available on vinyl, and was also available for download. The single Sing it Out was released in June 2006 and got to No. 39, and the new album Left was also released in June on the 19th.

The band appeared at the Reading Festival and the Leeds Festival on the August bank holiday weekend;along with the T in the park festival on the 8th of July. They played on the BBC Radio 1/NME stage. During their set on Sunday 27 August at Reading Festival, it emerged it may be their last ever show as the band were splitting up.[2] This rumour was reinforced later in the day by friends Broken Social Scene who dedicated their festival set to the band. On 30 August 2006, Sam Herlihy made a statement on the band's forum confirming the split and that Reading was their last ever show. Simon Jones and Mike Siddell also confirmed that the band were to split in the same thread.

Hope Of The States comment… "We can walk away at this point as friends and be increasingly proud of what we have done. Thank you to everyone for all your support and the incredible times we have shared with our fans and supporters”

Since the split members of the band have gone on to perform as Troubles. This includes Sam Herlihy, Mike Siddell, Michael Hibbert and Simon Jones as well as Jon Winter and Joel Clifford. Sam has performed as a soloist and has released an online Demo under the name Blocks. Anthony Theaker has created several remixes using the name CERN. During March it was confirmed that Sam Herlihy, Jon Winter, Paul Wilson and Simon Jones are to perform in an as-yet unnamed band.

[edit] Influences

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

[edit] Demos and EPs

  • Untitled 8 track demo (CDR) (not 9 tracks, as some sources suggest)
  • Untitled 2 track demo (Black Dollar Bills/Three Days In The West) (CDR)
  • Untitled "Fingerprints" demo (CD limited to 10 copies)
  • Black Dollar Bills (CD limited to 2000 copies)
  • AMM=IBM (mp3 download)
  • Enemies/Friends (CD/7")
  • The Red the White the Black the Blue (CD/7"/Ltd CD)
  • Nehemiah (CD/7"; partially focused on the life of Nehemiah 'Skip' James)
  • Winter Riot Dust Rackets (CD) [JPN/USA only. Both have different tracklists]
  • L'Ark Pour Les Enfants Terribles (Ltd CD)]
  • Blood Meridian EP (10")
  • Sing It Out (CD/7"/7")
  • Left [Single] (CD/7"/7")

[edit] Singles

Year Song UK Singles Chart UK Download Chart Album
2002 "Black Dollar Bills" - - "The Lost Riots"
2003 "Enemies/Friends" #25 - "The Lost Riots"
2003 "The Red the White the Black the Blue" #15 - "The Lost Riots"
2004 "Nehemiah" #30 - "The Lost Riots"
2006 "Blood Meridian" - - " Left"
2006 "Sing It Out" #39 - " Left"
2006 "Left" #63 - " Left"

Also of note are Thee Dust Racket CDs. The band have handed out five separate CDs of demos to fans, with the instructions to hand them out to four further fans and not to distribute them digitally. So far this has been successful and Thee Dust Rackets remain in the hands of the die-hard fans. Thee Dust Rackets are "Singin' It All Wrong", Thee Blackstar-Red Star! Arkestar, Thirds, Fourth Quarter and Fifths.

[edit] External links

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