"Thank you for clapping. You must stop now because it makes me stressed out." Few artists physically contort themselves in sheer awkwardness quite like Grimes. As the applause continues against her wishes, she grabs her own foot in her hand, bobs into several half bows and pulls her mass of blonde hair across her face.
That last affectation is probably the reason why, later in the show, she finds she's swallowed a piece of her own hair. "That is why I'm singing weirdly," she says brightly, "There's literally a fucking human hair down my throat."
It's ok though - perfection has never been Grimes' thing. She has a noticeable lisp, and makes no attempt to conceal it either live or on record. One of her best songs ('Realiti') is a demo released on a whim because she'd lost the Ableton file - another ('Go') a strange, EDM-influenced stomper rejected by Rihanna. Performed live, contorted into something even more alien by Grimes' onstage production, the songs are but two highlights in a set of untamed, gloriously imperfect power.
Dressed in an oversized t-shirt, her mic pack round her waist in a bum bag, Grimes turns even on-stage production into performance art. She ripples her arms as she reaches to push a button, creates stuttering shapes as she activates a sample. In front of her, two dancers - dressed all in black and wearing sunglasses - flesh out the stage, translating the warped, pulsing soundscapes into something physical.
It's an intriguing setlist. She declines to perform the saccharine pop anthem 'California' - one of the better known tracks from her latest album, Art Angels - in favour of two deep cuts. It's a risky decision, but it goes down well with an audience who are soaked in sweat and feeding off the frenzied energy Grimes so effortlessly creates. Though perhaps 'effortless' isn't the right word. She pours every ounce of herself into each beat.
Grimes can't bring herself to oblige with the traditional encore routine - "I have terrible nerves, so if I leave, I don't come back" - so instead, she nosedives straight into 'Kill V Maim'. It's a raucous, beautiful end to one of the most powerful live performances of the year.
