Stephen Malkmus is undoubtedly one of rock’s originals. Whether belting out grungy classics such as Baby C’mon or wilfully offbeat vignettes such as new song Scattergories (with lyrics like “Pictionary Nixon Kerry, Condoleeza’s Rice, scattered on the floor”), you never know quite what to expect from Malkmus, who has been ploughing his distinctly indie furrow for nearly three decades.

The audience packed into the Newtown Social Club were as one in cheering their appreciation of his singularity. But even they could never be sure which way the dipping and soaring melodies of Malkmus and his band would go.

There is a percussive drive to his best songs, echoing his days as the frontman of indie rock heroes Pavement, which had two drummers. There’s just one drummer for Malkmus these days but the style still works well – even on tracks filled with flights of lyrical and instrumental fancy such as Hopscotch Willie, on which Malkmus augments his powerful band with a mock German accent.

The band’s latest record, Wig Out at the Jagbags, is well represented, with Houston Hades, Cinnamon and Lesbians and Lariat (in which he sings “We lived on Tennyson and venison and the Grateful Dead”) showcasing his penchant for the oddities of life shot through with some pure pop.

Such playful eccentricity brings to mind the alternative rock pioneer Captain Beefheart, another Californian whose ragged rhythms were similarly complimented by bluesy guitar and often bizarre lyrics. But Malkmus nevertheless defies comparison or categorisation.