Father John Misty @ Usher Hall, Edinburgh, 1 Nov

After Weyes Blood finishes up her typically delightful, yet slightly understated set, anticipation ripples through the Usher Hall like a crackling energy. And the arrival of Josh Tillman does not disappoint.

Sporting the pose of a '70s rock troubadour, Father John Misty launches into the title track of new album, Pure Comedy. He switches between exuberant and anguished depending on the level of malaise present in the current lyric, before launching into full-on rock star mode that lasts until the end of third song Things It Would Have Been Helpful to Know Before the Revolution. This includes (but is not limited to) Jagger-esque preening, wild, epilepsy-inducing lights, full band freak-outs and epic wailing pleas.

However, this kind of mania can't be sustained and after a more subdued rendition of Ballad of the Dying Man it's back to business as usual as Tillman and band work through a selection of material from the three FJM albums. There are bright moments, like Chateau Lobby #4 and When the God of Love Returns There'll Be Hell to Pay, and it all sounds great, but it feels like we're working up to something bigger. Bored in the USA signals the beginning of the expected crescendo that sees us through to the encore and includes I'm Writing a Novel, and Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings before closing on a joyously theatrical I Love You, Honeybear.

Tillman has disappeared so far into his Father John Misty persona at this point that separating the two can be difficult. The only moment he peeks out from the behind the curtain is during his only extended bit of banter following The Memo. He compliments the ornate surroundings of the Usher Hall, sarcastically adding “you must be very proud of yourselves,” before stating that he wants to show he's “more than just back bends... sometimes I have funny, relevant things to say... but not tonight.” It's a moment of humanising earnestness that perfectly marries the anxiety-ridden iconoclast that writes the songs, and the grandiose character that performs them.

The encore dials up the drama once more when, halfway through Holy Shit, the plaintive, acoustic folksiness suddenly erupts into a peal of electrified hysteria. Tillman keeps the madness going through a completely bananas performance of closer The Ideal Husband, throwing himself onto his knees and getting down in the pit with the front row.

Throughout the night, there are moments when the subtle hilarity and poignancy of Tillman's lyrics are sacrificed for the sake of showmanship and big effects, playing into a central theme of Pure Comedy; the need for constant, immediate gratification and what we lose in the pursuit of it. We want Total Entertainment Forever, but at what cost?