Buxton band The Indieannas instruments stolen in burglary

Seven guitars belonging to The Indieannas were taken during a break-in at their practice room on Staden Lane Industrial Estate yesterday evening (Thursday).

The thieves also stole a VW Polo which had been parked outside, and this was later found abandoned, with the keys inside, in the car park at the rear of the Soldier Dick pub in Furness Vale.

It’s a major blow for the popular four-piece, which recently reformed after a year out, but long-standing member Mark Whibberley insisted the band would “struggle through” instead of disappointing its army of fans.

“Since we reformed we have gone from strength to strength, and it’s such a big kick in the teeth,” Mark explained.

“As unsigned musicians, it costs us a lot of money to perform. A few of the guys have spares, so we will try and struggle through. We don’t like letting people down.

“It really is soul-destroying. They’re our instruments and we learn to play them as they are. Bizarrely, the thieves took all the guitars out of the cases, which they then left behind, and they didn’t bother with the amps either.”

The stolen guitars, together valued at around £2,500, include a white Fender Telecaster, red Epiphone ES-339, blonde Epiphone Dot, sunburst Westfield Les Paul, natural-coloured acoustic bass, brown Epiphone Thunderbird and a red Epiphone SG Bass.

Some of the guitars have distinguishing marks - the bottom of the Thunderbird bass is marked with band stickers, the SG Bass has a chip bottom-right which has been covered with red paint, while the Les Paul and the Epiphone Dot have replacement volume control buttons.

The band took to social media to break the news to fans and appeal for support. A post on their Facebook page reads: “As you know we’ve worked hard to get this gear and being an unsigned musician costs lots of money, so any leads on getting our gear back would be a big help.” It has since been shared over 100 times.

Richard McCann posted back “good luck getting stuff back”, while the Rev Carl Edwards added “really sorry to hear this”.

Previously known as The Stand, the band has enjoyed a rise in popularity over recent years, gracing the stage at the legendary Cavern Club and, in 2012, winning a public vote to perform at the renowned Y Not Festival.

The burglary is believed to have taken place between 9.30pm and 12pm, with the thieves prising open the door of the practice room, their home for the past six years.

Anyone who witnessed the break-in, or has information concerning the whereabouts of the instruments, is asked to contact Derbyshire police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.