FORM Presents HOPES OF THE STATES \+ Special Guests Hope of the States formed in Chichester in 2000, bringing strings, noise and post-rock ambition to an indie scene crowded with Strokes wannabes and Libertines impersonators. Their debut album, \*The Lost Riots\*, arrived in 2004 to a 9/10 review from \*NME\* amongst other fevered acclaim. After a second album, the lean and powerful \*Left\*, the band split in 2006. That seemed to be that. In 2024, they got back together to mark 20 years of \*The Lost Riots\* and find out whether it still felt right to play together. Their first new music, the sprawling ‘Long Waits in A&E’, picked up the scale and emotion of the old records without sounding trapped by them. December’s reunion shows sold out within a day. Venue upgrades and additional shows followed. In 2025 came another successful run of shows and the singles ‘Footage/Steamtrain’ and ‘Billboard Mountain’. On stage, the band sounded bigger, more triumphant and louder than ever. What began as an anniversary reunion has turned into something none of them expected: another chapter, this one fulfilling the promise they showed when they first appeared way back in 2004.