Disorientating would be the best word to describe Ariel Pink’s Hove debut.

Everything seemed designed to confuse, offend or entrance. Musically tempos changed and slices of pop sweetness were beaten back by feedback drenched sound in a set largely drawn from latest album Pom Pom.

Genres switched from goofy disco-pop in White Freckles to Frank Zappa-esque sexual satire in Black Ballerina, to an arms-in-the-air anthem with closer Picture Me Gone.

Pink’s stage presence felt bipolar – alternating from calling his audience losers, coughing down the mic and introducing his band as: “Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs in the house”, to rushing to crowd surf and kiss his front row.

A lighting design which constantly strobed like a flickering television set contributed to the feeling of an assault on the senses.

With such an approach it’s unsurprising the crowd thinned as the set went on, while others pushed to the front.

The crowd resistance may explain the lack of encore – with the singer leading his band through the crowd to man the merch stall instead of returning to the stage.

Perhaps what Pink has done is deliberately play with the crowd/performer dynamic, in the same way his recorded work has deconstructed pop music – tearing it apart to create something new.

Or he might just be an attention-seeking obnoxious show-off who wants to have it both ways – adoration and repulsion.

Either way it was an unforgettable and fascinating experience.