State
was formed in the Autumn of 1996 from members of Manchester-based bands,
consisting of the standard four piece set-up of vocal, guitar, bass and
drums. The first gig was back in January 1997 at Manchester’s Star and
Garter, with the band then moving on to larger venues later in the year
including The Witchwood, The Roadhouse, and The Boardwalk.In
the middle of 1998, State changed its musical style somewhat, steering
away from ‘jangley pop songs’ towards a darker, more mature sound, whilst
keeping a slight ‘pop’ edge, which seemed more apt to the lyrical content.
For the two years, State has been three quarters based in Manchester with
the remainder in Sheffield, and has played at the latter’s Under the Boardwalk
and The Boardwalk at the end of 1998 and through 1999.The
band produced a two-track demo
at Priority Studios, Sheffield in mid December '98, consisting the songs She
Never Existed and live favourite, Let
Me Know, and a year later, has added
a new track to that demo, Not
There.
1999
saw gigs at The Boardwalk in Sheffield, and The Witchwood and The Roadhouse
in Manchester. New material has continued to feature heavily in State’s
1999 and 2000 sets, with the new sound developing new audiences and older
songs pleasing the existing crowd.