Hope of the States

Hope of the States were an English post rock-influenced indie band from Chichester. All instruments are as listed in the sleeve notes for the band's second album, Left. The band formed in 2000, naming themselves after a 1930s paper on the state of mental healthcare in the United States. They were discovered after sending a demo to the Planet Sound teletext page, and were signed to Sony BMG. The band's guitarist James Lawrence committed suicide in... more

Hope of the States were an English post rock-influenced indie band from Chichester. All instruments are as listed in the sleeve notes for the band's second album, Left. The band formed in 2000, naming themselves after a 1930s paper on the state of mental healthcare in the United States. They were discovered after sending a demo to the Planet Sound teletext page, and were signed to Sony BMG. The band's guitarist James Lawrence committed suicide in January 2004, shortly before the release of their first album, The Lost Riots, which 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. 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... less