And that was clearly in evidence when Ian Britt opened proceedings in Sheffield with some skillful guitar playing and mellow tunes.

Original headliners The Rushes added the softer indie-rock side to the night, with keyboards and guitars that clearly shows their influences.

Bumped up to top spot, Chesterfield's Culture Thieves seem to have been keeping a low profile of late, but when they DO crawl out of the woodwork, they do it with some style!

With as much hair as ever, the Culture Thieves are totally up to standard – even though the crowd is lacking and have 'front phobia', preferring to shelter in the shadows round the room's edges.

Playing songs from their early EP such as Mockingbird, 1+1 and Generosity Killed the String Section, these guys show they have everything to offer when it comes to playing live.

For a band of four men, they sound much fuller than that, lacking nothing except perhaps some some backing vocals.

With a stylish cover of Jamie T's Back in the Game and finishing on Scott Free it's obvious how the local lads weedled their way into headlining.

The Thieves live up to their name, but while there are snatches of half-familiar riffs, sounds and lyrics in their material - they somehow manage to make it sound all their own.

This is a band whose reputation is built on the quality of its live shows and on this performaance, the Thieves have clearly stolen a march on their rivals.

AKIRA PAUK