Look, whatever that was, it was brilliant: Mica Levi live in London

2015 saw Levi release Good Sad Happy Bad, her third album with Micachu & The Shapes, and collaborate further with vocalist Tirzah on the excellent Make It Up EP. Though she was joined once again by The Shapes, it was to help craft a vastly different sound that drew on the proto grunge of Neil Young and Crazy Horse and stoner metal pioneers The Melvins far more than any of the electronic or orchestral turns (such as on her remarkable score for Jonathan Glazer's 2013 movie Under The Skin) for which she's most lauded.

With intermittent toasting provided from friends sprawled across mattresses on the floor (the night was billed 'Bedtime: Live heavy rock music', and lived up to it) and additional visual spectacle coming courtesy of the occasional repeated arrival of the front few rows on to the stage for semi-shamanic, almost slow motion dancing, the evening played out like a party at the wrong speed, but soon took on its own peculiar, hypnotic allure.

Whether any of this presumably partially improvised, at times brutal and always intriguing new direction will make it on to record is, as ever with Levi, anyone's guess – but the fact she clearly holds live events as being as important, if not more so, than recorded output is one to be applauded, and reason to attend as many of her unpredictable live sets as one can fit in to your year.

Those who hadn't seen a Mica Levi show in any capacity before – perhaps arriving expecting string-laden soundscapes, or twisted indie pop – could be forgiven for leaving thoroughly confused, even disappointed, by this display of sheer sludge, but to anyone who'd witnessed more than a handful, its genius was glowing.