The artful square pegs of the early-00s indie scene saw their careers upturned by the death of a band member. Now 18 years later they’ve reunited, finding their youthful spark still intact

“Let the healing begin,” says Sam Herlihy the moment I turn on my tape recorder. He’s joking, but not entirely. In December, Herlihy’s band Hope of the States will reform for a series of shows – the first time they have played together live for more than 18 years. The gigs, along with a new EP, mark 20 years since the group’s debut album The Lost Riots bucked the early-00s trend for short, spiky indie songs in favour of epic soundscapes that incorporated military drums, Morricone-esque strings and portentous lyrics about the perils of nationalism. When Hope of the States split in 2006, shortly after playing the Reading and Leeds festival, Herlihy declared that the band were cursed. Certainly, their short tenure had more than its share of misfortune and tragedy.

Herlihy was the person who walked into the studio late one night, during the recording of The Lost Riots, to find his friend and bandmate Jimmi Lawrence had killed himself. These days, such a terrible event would involve interventions – therapy, a lengthy career pause. But three weeks after Lawrence died, Hope of the States were back in the studio, finishing their album before touring the world.