Mac DeMarco @ O2 ABC Glasgow, 7 September

Glasgow may have just killed Mac DeMarco. The rambunctious singer has launched himself above the eager masses pressed against the barrier of the O2 ABC stage in what has become his customary mid-set crowd surf, only to nosedive unceremoniously to the floor. And he’s down for some time, long enough for one nearby punter to nervously quip "well, that’s the end of Mac DeMarco."

The lovable Canadian troubadour shrugs it off with trademark nonchalance, eventually hauled out of the scrimmage and placed back onstage, where – acrobatics aside – he and his band of hayseed rock minstrels frolic their way through a set as good natured and goofy as it is sonically skilful.

Comic highlights are the essence of DeMarco and co’s live act, unsurprisingly for a singer whose oddball humour firmly underscores his whimsical, woozy pop output. Even with the touch of melancholia that seeps into his latest release Another One, evinced tonight by the languid yet heartfelt delivery of its title track, clowning about is the order of the day.

DeMarco’s affability is the key to his adoring fanbase – Viceroy and Cookin’ Up Something Good are all but drowned out by boisterous sing-alongs, while new touring recruit John is relieved of his synth duties by our ringmaster and offered up to the crowd like a sacrificial beach ball, buffeted aloft beatifically with arms crossed for the duration of Freakin’ Out The Neighbourhood. 

Covers also provide the perfect foil for a band insistent on not taking itself too seriously – Steely Dan gets the treatment with a jaunty rendition of Reelin’ In The Years, and their touring pièce de résistance, a staggeringly impressive, thrashed out take on Metallica’s Enter Sandman, forms a lengthy encore, and a perfect reminder that there’s a mighty musical powerhouse tucked modestly away behind this jester’s costume.