As with all good geniuses, Mike Hadreas appeared a tortured sort, or at least one caught in the midst of a dilemma.

Following a brief, experimental opening song, with bass that rattled the rafters of an obviously sold-out Haunt, the Seattle-based songwriter known by his pseudonym Perfume Genius settled into a series of traditional-sounding, piano-led ballads.

The sound fell between numerous contemporary reference points, yet never quite fully imitated any of them – there were the reverb-heavy, dreamy and high-pitched vocals reminiscent of early Mercury Rev, without the psychedelia; the tone of Sufjan Stevens or Owen Pallett without the elaborate orchestration and structures; and the openness of Patrick Wolf and the Cinematic Orchestra, but through a 1980s filter.

After sitting down throughout this opening section, Hadreas then got up and, with the drums kicking into life, delivered a few up-tempo numbers replete with distorted screams and, as he put it himself, “Mum dancing”.

After completing what was an interesting but perhaps not fully convincing diversion, he returned to his more considered and very beautiful work, including the pensive, hymnal Sister Song – before wrapping up the encore with recent breakthrough single Queen.