Former Can frontman Damo Suzuki, who rose to fame as part of the German avant- garde Kraut-rock scene in the 1970s, is now an underground improvisation performer who jams with local musicians around the world.

Without any rehearsals, it’s a tribute to Suzuki’s charismatic leadership and the skills and flexibility of the local group who were his backing “sound carriers” that the three extended tracks they devised worked so well.

Suzuki, who has filmmakers recording the constantly evolving musical permutations that develop at every show, was modestly appreciative of the audience rammed into the hot, crowded, rough-and-ready performance space.

Seizing the microphone with both hands, he began to growl and wail, eyes clenched shut, torso contorted and sweat dripping down his face.

Local band AK/DK held their own onstage with Suzuki, with Ed Chivers and Gee Sowerby hemmed in at opposite ends of the stage behind drumkits and keyboards.

Jimmy Wheelwright’s bass playing added depth and energising rhythms to the combined sound, while Jules Arthur added anguished wails and edgy pizzicato with his viola.

With flickering projections of trams and whirling lights, slowly mounting electro-soul climaxes, and the swaying audience responding to the musician’s spontaneous communication, this was a thrillingly energetic happening.