A year ago, every mention of rock wannabes Hope of the States was smothered in gushing praise and breathless expectation. Their debut single, Black Dollar Bills, drew comparisons with Radiohead, and the follow-up Enemies/Friends unexpectedly crashed into the top 25. Then the Chichester six-piece fell back to earth with a bang. In January 2004, guitarist Jimmi Lawrence was found hanging in Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios.

But the band are not merely putting on a brave face: they have a new album on the way, and the mood tonight is defiant. "The chickens are coming home to roost, y'all," says singer Sam Herlihy, maniacally staring into the crowd.

Considering the circumstances, it's unfortunate that Herlihy resembles Badfinger's Pete Ham. Even worse, he sounds like a tone-deaf Craig Nicholls of the Vines. On Don't Fall to Pieces, as he fights to hear himself through the monitors, his vulnerability is painful for all the wrong reasons.

Luckily, Hope of the States's majestic power blasts through his ordinary renditions. Combining the grace of Mike Siddell's violin with Anthony Theaker's tight, twisted guitar, the songs heave with desperation and optimism. Military rhythms jostle with ethereal beauty; sneering stomps collide with jangly pop. The ambition is awe-inspiring. George Washington is a Confederate nursery rhyme turned war cry. The sweetness and light of Me Ves y Sufres turns into a tangle of buzzing guitars and thudding drums.

The band spin, bend and jolt like an electrified puppet show. But the sadness is inherent. And inescapable. "This is for who it's always for," Herlihy says by way of introduction to The Last Picture Show. And as his voice cracks, turning from a hushed whisper to a feverish, frustrated yell, there's no doubt who that is.

· At the Zodiac, Oxford, on May 16. Box office: 01865 420042. Then touring.