They may be called The Crookes, but this hotly tipped Sheffield band fell foul of some crooks minus the ‘e’ when burglars nicked laptops containing their entire song catalogue.

Happily, the chiming, flamenco-flavoured Bloodshot Days survived the crime, still fit for purpose as a single release this week on Heist Or Hit Records, ahead of tonight’s gig at The Duchess in York.

Sounding like an indie band staying pale on their summer holidays, they are drawing comparisons with The Smiths, a link only enhanced by their Morrisseyesque description of Bloodshot Days.

“Heartache and apathy. When your days all bleed into one. They’re pretty much the two themes that run through the song,” say the Sheffield University four-piece, alias George, Alex, Daniel and Russell.

The B-side, Through The Cat’s Whisker, is named after the old radios known as cat’s whiskers.

“We had the idea of an old, forlorn man listening to his radio one day and then suddenly hearing an old forgotten song come through that floods him with memories of his youth,” say the band. “The style of the song almost facetiously mirrors the kind of song we imagined to come through the radio.”

Bent on putting romantic, stirring drama back into indie music, The Crookes are gearing up for a busy and fruitful year, having already made their SXSW festival debut last month in the Yorkshire showcase in Austin, Texas.

Now they can put their New Year’s resolutions into practice: “To lock the door so we don’t get burgled again, and to get fit so we don’t collapse on our massive tour,” they say.

Tonight’s gig will be the 14th of 24 dates on the road this winter and spring. Support comes from The Jessie Rose Trip and Lights In The Sky; tickets cost £5 in advance on 0844 477 1000 or £6.50 on the door from 7.30pm.