Rising rapper psweatpants has the unenviable job of rousing the shrinking violets that make up the audience tonight, a task he more or less accomplishes despite the repetitive stage banter and a bit of lingering sickness. London-born and Glasgow-based, his foundation is the trad-grime of two decades ago, which is surprisingly refreshing when considering the current state of UK rap, but there’s top-class variety in the beats and samples that keep things engaging throughout. He can jump from workmanlike verses to tongue-twisting party starters at the drop of a hat (‘Why Lie’, ‘Change’) and can rap respectably over shredding guitars, UK Garage minimalism and floaty cloud-rap without any trouble. Maybe avoid the Kid Cudi-esque crooning and don’t worry about the crowd having a good time – these songs are more than enough to get us on board.

Ever the DIY champion, billy woods pops out to conduct his own soundcheck five minutes before start time, effectively raising the anticipation levels and getting a few smiles following the sudden discovery that this isn’t the start of the set. But he doesn’t waste any time getting back and kicking off with old favourite ‘Crocodile Tears.’ His raspy shout grows in intensity through the night, occasionally sounding a little hoarse, but never less than crystal clear despite the (often very) loud backing tracks that don’t skimp on the bass.

‘Misery’ is one of a number of songs from next month’s GOLLIWOG – each of which sounds likely to continue woods’ years-long hot streak – but when followed by certified heaters like ‘Spongebob’ and ‘Steak Knives’ it’s clear what the crowd is here for tonight. There’s a bit of craic between songs as woods shouts out his producers (Aesop Rock, Preservation and of course Kenny Segal), but no artifice or gimmicks: this is just a man with a mic, a laptop and an ability to weave the everyday into something dreamlike, prophetic and thought-provoking.

The heady, heavy Armand Hammer cut ‘Falling out of the Sky’ demonstrates woods’ lyrical dexterity and following it up with head-in-the-clouds anthem ‘Soft Landing’ shows an acute awareness of sequencing and ability to shift moods when needed. ‘A Day in a Week in a Year’ is a highlight late-on that starts a superlative hiding places run that also includes ‘Toothy’ and ‘Bedtime,’ though it’s a little rushed as we’re already past curfew. The Sam Herring featuring ‘Facetime’ ends the set on a note of navel-gazing despite its constant motion, emphasising woods’ life on the road, the loneliness and sacrifices, but ultimately the acceptance that this is where he’s supposed to be.

That hard-won wisdom has taken more than 20 years to come by, but the captivating performance that woods puts on tonight shows that nothing is taken for granted – despite his increased platform these days, just give billy woods a mic and a stage and he’ll do the business.