Hope Of The States @ The Liquid Room

To be in the presence of one of the UK's most revered live acts should be a genuine privilege. But tonight, in a claustrophobic Liquid Room, the escalating expressionism of Hope Of The States is more like an unremitting community sentence. Supporting the imminent release of new album 'Left', the band's performance leaves an aching sense of unprepared ring rustiness. Sounding bulky and disjointed, the Chichester sextet struggle to recreate the climatic intricacy found on record. Vocalist Sam Herlihy is cringingly off-key, reverting to torturously piercing wails for long periods, but this is almost tolerable compared to the out-of-sync crunching of the triadic guitarists. In substituting subtlety for gluttonous sonics the band loses its orchestral sense of melody that not even a dashing Red The White The Black The Blue can resuscitate. As the misery finally ends, there appears to be little hope for this spiritless state. [Billy Hamilton]