If gold-selling albums were dished out for hard graft and persistence then Sheffield’s The Crookes would have three of them.

As it is, touring on the back of third LP Soapbox, the Fierce Panda-signed foursome have never branched out of smaller venues.

And while it might not fill their wallets, it suits their style down to the ground.

While this set showed they have progressed from the floppy-fringed jangly pop poets of a few years ago to a more polished and powerful outfit, their outsider tales are still of love, loss and hope.

Thankfully such romanticism doesn’t belong in stadiums, but in charm-laden rough-around-the-edges boozers.

Despite playing in front of no more than 40 people, they couldn’t be faulted for enthusiasm – especially frontman George Waite as he bounded around, head shaking increasingly frantically and sweating buckets as they rattled through their back catalogue.

Particular highlights were the full-on stomp of We Are Magicians, the brooding clatter of newbie Before The Night Falls and The Housemartins-esque pop perfection of Backstreet Lovers.

The Crookes’ dedication to their craft deserves far more attention, but as Waite sings on Chorus Of Fools, “There’s still time, let us raise our glasses and drain our cheap wine.” Cheers to that.