| Hope of the States | |
| Background: | group_or_band |
| Origin: | Chichester, England |
| Genre: | Alternative rock, indie rock, post-rock, new prog |
| Years Active: | 2000–2006, 2024 |
| Associated Acts: | Troubles, The Northwestern, Chapel Club |
| Current Members: | Sam Herlihy Michael Hibbert Simon Jones Michael Siddell Paul Wilson |
| Past Members: | James "Jimmi" Lawrence Keith Seymour Scott R Walker Anthony Theaker |
Hope of the States are an English post rock-influenced indie band, formed in Chichester in 2000.
Following the release of 2 albums, the band split up in 2006 before reuniting in 2024.[1]
The band formed in 2000, naming themselves after The Shame of the States, Albert Deutsch's 1948 book on the state of mental healthcare in the United States.[2] They were discovered after sending a demo to the Planet Sound teletext page, and were signed to Sony BMG. The band's bass player Scott R. Walker left the band after the first initial releases and then went on to form Kasms with Rory Attwell.
The band's guitarist James "Jimmi" Lawrence committed suicide by hanging on 15 January 2004,[3] during recording sessions for their debut album at Real World Studios in Box, Wiltshire.[4] They then enlisted guitarist Michael Hibbert, with Herlihy stating that the guitarist had fit in "incredibly. Not just as a guitarist but in handling the situation. He plays in his own way, jumps around and that's exactly what we need. I don't want someone who's going to stand there depressed, or try to copy Jimmi".[5]
The band released their debut album The Lost Riots om on 7 June 2004, and reached the Top 40 in the UK Albums Chart. The band's first single, "Black Dollar Bills", was packaged in a hessian sleeve, each hand-sewn by a band member. The band's most extensive UK tour started in October 2004, beginning with a date in Belfast's Mandela Hall, including an appearance at the Dance Academy in Plymouth.[6]
Much of 2005 was spent recording the follow-up to The Lost Riots, and the band only made six live appearances. The band performed some songs to be included on their second album at an acoustic performance in London. The band worked with fansite "The Halfway Home" to produce an advent calendar for Christmas 2005. The only studio recording released in 2005 was the track 'Shalom', included as Day 24 on the calendar.
In April 2006 the band released a new EP, Blood Meridian, accompanied by a low-key UK tour beginning in The Cockpit in Leeds. The EP was limited to 2,000 copies, available on vinyl, and was also available for download. The single "Sing it Out" was released in June 2006, reaching No. 39 in the UK Singles Chart, and their second album Left followed on 19 June.
The band appeared at T in the Park on 8 July, and then the Reading and Leeds Festivals in August, where they played on the BBC Radio 1/NME stage. During their set on 27 August at Reading, it emerged it may be their last ever show as the band were splitting up.[7] This was suggested further later in the day by friends Broken Social Scene, who dedicated their festival set to the band. On 30 August, Sam Herlihy made a statement on the band's forum confirming the split and that Reading was their last show.
Following the band's split, Sam Herlihy and Simon Jones formed The Northwestern, who split in 2012. The rest of the band formed Troubles, with Michael Hibbert leaving in 2007 to form Chapel Club, who split in 2013.
On 8 July 2024, the band announced that they had reunited to play 3 gigs in December 2024 and were recording new material with producer Jolyon Thomas.
| Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| UK [8] | SCO [9] | ||
| The Lost Riots |
| 21 | 21 |
| Left |
| 50 | 51 |
| Title | Album details | |
|---|---|---|
| Winter Riot Dust Rackets |
| |
| Blood Meridian |
| |
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [10] | UK Indie [11] | UK Rock [12] | SCO [13] | |||
| "Black Dollar Bills" | 2002 | 83 | 10 | — | 93 | The Lost Riots |
| "Enemies/Friends" | 2003 | 25 | — | — | 31 | |
| "The Red the White the Black the Blue" | 2004 | 15 | — | — | 22 | |
| "Nehemiah" | 30 | — | 2 | 29 | ||
| "Sing It Out" | 2006 | 39 | — | — | 28 | Left |
| "Left" | 63 | — | — | 30 | ||