New music: How Manchester’s LOAstate are using guerrilla marketing to spread their sound

Both musicians and creators, LOAstate emerged last year in a shroud of mystery. A couple of tracks Love As You Want It and Why Me Why were teased – but details were few. After a (much-acclaimed) first gig at Deaf Institute as part of Neighbourhood Festival, the Manchester five-piece soon went on to pack out YES’s pink room for their first headline performance. The lead-up to the show involved guerrilla marketing including pop-ups from a van, projecting their logo onto buildings around town, giving out free stuff and plain old meeting and talking to people, which is what the band prioritise: people and their stories. If you follow LOAstate on their socials, you’ll see them frequently mention The 87 – but this isn’t just a name for their fans and followers – it’s their gang. Their friends. Those who not only support their music but inspire it. In the months following their YES gig, LOAstate have gradually pulled back the curtain of mystique with more tracks and videos released on their Youtube channel illustrating band life, discussing mental health and detailing what goes into the producing their music. Combining an indie rock sound with hip-hop influences – the lads aim to ‘soundtrack the intense highs and dramatic lows of modernity’. LOAstate isn’t just a band. It’s a state of mind.