Hope of the States

Sandwiched between the sleaze of Dresden Dolls and the brilliant stupidity of Goldie Lookin' Chain come Hope of the States, on a mission to, well, bore the audience rigid.

A wilfully perverse set starts with almost nine minutes of 'Nehemiah' (it's OK, it only felt like two lifetimes) and fails to include either new single 'Left' or its predecessor 'Sing It Out'. Indeed, the only entertaining moment comes when singer Sam Herlihy's guitar breaks down at the start of the set, forcing the band to revise their running order. Unfortunately, this only leads to them playing a turgid, soulless version of 'Black Dollar Bills'.

Ten days after this, HOTS announce that they are splitting. This was the sound of them going out whimpering.