Hope of the States

A 1948 book on the state of American mental healthcare gave this Chichester band its name. Hope of the States, formed in 2000, took the title of Albert Deutsch's The Shame of the States and built an indie sound shaded by post rock. They were discovered after sending a demo to the Planet Sound teletext page, and soon signed to Sony BMG.

The debut, The Lost Riots, arrived on 7 June 2004 and reached the UK Albums Chart Top 40, though it was made in the shadow of guitarist James "Jimmi" Lawrence's death during recording at Real World Studios in January 2004. Michael Hibbert joined in his place. Second album Left followed in June 2006, preceded by "Sing it Out", which reached No. 39 in the UK Singles Chart. The band played their last show at Reading that August and confirmed the split on 30 August. Years later they reunited, announcing on 8 July 2024 that they would play gigs in December, followed by a new song, "Long Waits in A&E", on 1 November 2024.