UK (Norwich Waterfront), November 28, 2004 Review

However, all this was instantly forgettable given the top-notch performance the band gave.

Sound:	6
Perfomance:	10
Impression:	10
Overall rating:	8.7
Users rating:	0

overall: 8.7

Reviewed by: Tombe, on april 04, 2005

Sound: Hope Of The States are vocalist/guitarist/pianist Sam Herlihy, guitarists Mike Hibbert and Anthony Theaker, bassist Paul Wilson, violinist Mike Siddell and drummer Simon Jones. That's 6 musicians, and they're capable of making one hell of a noise. The Hope of the States sound is dramatic and intense, tremolo-picked octaves from the guitars fed through pedals to make them sound like whole string orchestras, pounding basslines and regimental drumming. All this came across even better live. The guitars in particular sounded amazing. My main problem was that the sound crew didn't do a particularly good job. Firstly, it was too loud. My ears were ringing for 2 days after the gig. Secondly, it was mixed terribly, as soon as the rest of the band approached higher volumes, you couldn't hear Sam's vocals very well. At the end of Static in the Cities, you couln't hear them at all. This meant that poor old Anthony spent more time motioning the sound crew to turn the vocals up and the guitars down than he did actually playing. // 6

Perfomance: However, all this was instantly forgettable given the top-notch performance the band gave. Sam gave a truly remarkable performance, despite not having the most enchanting voice, whilst Jonny-Greenwood-fringe-sporting Mike H and Anthony spent the evening hunched over their guitars thrashing out octaves as fast as they possibly could, whilst the engine-room rhythm section grooved away in the background. Another hots trademark is the visualisation screen at the back, operated by a bloke on a laptop, showing various projections throuhgout the songs. Sam also communicated quite a lot with the audience, engaging in conversations with a group of drunks at the back and giving out half-smoked fags to people in the front row. Setlist:

01. The Black Amnesias - this intense four-minute instrumental was the ultimate opener. Mike H snapped his first string. Ears began to hurt a bit.
02. George Washington - not one of their more impressive songs, but a good performance nonetheless, although Sam's guitar was a bit quiet.
03. Black Stars Red Stars - the first of two new songs played. This was another loud, fast instrumental which could take over from The Black Amnesias as standard set-opener in the future.
04. Black Dollar Bills - one of the best performances of the evening. This 7-minute epic is a huge fan favourite, and played at every gig. Sam's vocals and piano rang out loud and clear in the quiet bits, and the band climax at the end was just incredible. Was spoilt somewhat by drunks starting a mosh-pit in the quiet bit.
05. Bonfires - another new song. Short and punchy, quite Radiohead-like.
06. A Crack-up At The Race Riots - despite Sam's claim that they hadn't played this for 6 months, it still sounded good. The intro was a wall of noise created by Anthony switching all his effects on and attacking his guitar with a violin bow. Ears were completely wrecked by now.
07. Goodhorsehymn - a very quiet organ-based intro led into a surprisingly upbeat and loud performance of what's usually quite a restrained song. Mike snapped another string.
08. Nehemiah/The Red The White The Black The Blue/Enemies/Friends - a three-pronged attack of modern-day anthems to end the set. The crowd really got going for the last three songs, shouting out every word. Ant changed from guitar and proceeded to batter the living daylights out of Sam's keyboard for the last three songs.

Encore:
09. Static In The Cities - we didn't have to wait long for them to come back on. This 8-minute epic to end all 8-minute epics was rightfully dedicated to John Peel. Ant whipped out the violin bow and played his guitar with it at the end, when the music became too loud to hear Sam's vocals at all. It didn't matter though, because this track is all about the music. Mike snapped yet another string. // 10

Impression: Norwich Waterfront (UK), 28th October 2004. The openers were Pure Reason Revolution (a new prog-rock band, pretty damn good) and The Open (by-the-numbers indie, ultimately forgettable). What did I love about their performance? Everything except the sound. As I've said already, the sound didn't matter because the performance was top notch. It cost 9 quid to get in, I'd have quite willingly paid double that. I'll definitely be going to see them on their next tour. I reccommend you go and see them if they're playing near you, I guarantee you'll enjoy it. // 10