How many Hoziers does it take to change a lightbulb? There are several ways to gauge the current worldwide success of the lanky Wicklow lad. You’ve the Grammy wig-out with Annie Lennox, sold-out shows all over the place and invites to sing his song (you know the song) while ladies in lingere walk up and down a stage.

But you really know that Hozier is in clover when the record biz kicks off the search for the New Hozier. It’s a time-honoured ritual, where talent scouts work out who’s causing a fuss and then go in search of acts who sound more or less the same. There’s safety in numbers, after all.

All of which explains why male singers with big, distinctive, rippling voices will be getting signed in numbers for at least the next 12 months. It may go some way to explain the current palaver over James Bay, a man who is as bland and unappealing as a cold bag of chipper chips.

But you can just imagine the label scouts clocking Bay in his hat and going “take me to church, James”. The fact that he supported Hozier on tour last year only strengthens his New Hozier credentials.

Expect some acts to pivot and take account of the prevailing wind. Some talent scouts will tell you about going to see acts who sounded uncannily like the Arctic Monkeys. Six months previously, the very same act sounded a lot like Franz Ferdinand.

Of course, the trick for all the New Hoziers limbering up is to write a song as powerful as Take Me To Church. That's the real deal-maker. Write a song like that and you can hang your hat on it.