Nearly six years ago now, Devendra Banhart sat cross-legged on the set of Jools Holland’s Later. Swathed in red cloth and blinded by a mess of hair, his rendition of A Sight to Behold was captivating, his distinctive warble cutting through more clearly than all the reverb units and delay pedals on Snow Patrol’s side of the stage.

A few years later, and you might be forgiven for wondering if there is more than one person named Devendra Banhart, as unlikely as that seems. It’s not only his music that has rapidly expanded in scope since Cripple Crow: Devendra himself seems like a whole new man, vivacious and playful where once he was quiet, verging on ethereal.

Devendra and his band the Grogs took the stage to a loosely crowded room at the Metro, but any disappointment about the size of the audience was more than countered by the fierce display of loyalty and admiration from the crowd throughout the set. I haven’t seen an audience so studiously reverent in quiet numbers since Fleet Foxes, and the outburst of joy at the line about the squid’s psychedelic movement in Little Yellow Spider was delightful.

Given his reputation as a drug-addled hippie eccentric (a reputation he delights in perpetuating in interviews), Devendra was rather more focused than one might have expected. The set-list was clearly organised, allowing for the democratic inclusion of a song by each of the Grogs. Not all of these songs were spectacular, but all reinforced the sense that each member of the band is a talented musician in his own right.

For all the skills of his band, though, it was clearly a Devendra Banhart show. Devendra is a commanding stage presence, quickly winning over the audience with a charming levity and a warm sense of humour. When an audience member threw a brown-skinned doll on stage (a reference to the Black Babies EP), Devendra was giddy with child-like joy, playing with it and perching it in odd places throughout the following song.

It’s refreshing to see audience and performer all taking such pleasure in a show. Congratulations, Devendra, and come back soon.