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Thom Yorke admitted the lyrical style of Doom left him flummoxed on first hearing, but even the long-time fans who bore witness to his first live appearance on European soil were left scratching their heads a touch.

The London-born, New York-raised MC’s work in recent years has scarcely disappointed since the seminal Madvillainy he released with acclaimed hip hop producer Madlib, though last year Doom found himself on an even bigger radar after getting ‘Gazillion Ear’ remixed by Yorke.

Indeed, in spite of his elusive public persona, the metal-masked MC is becoming unavoidably influential within and without the hip hop space.

Dave Sitek also contributed a remix of the same track as Yorke and Doom is said to be working on a whole album with the TV on the Radio man, which if it materialises, would shed some long overdue light on Doom for audiences outside his largely underground hip hop space.

Unsurprisingly though, his much anticipated slot at London’s Roundhouse amongst a lineup promoting Sonar festival was shrouded in as much mystery as his facial appearance.

With numerous stories of impostors and stand-ins circulating, many speculated about whether this would be the sort of showcase for which the Barcelona event has become renowned or purely a charade based on the notion of an incredibly skilled recording artist.

"In spite of his elusive public persona, the metal-masked MC is becoming unavoidably influential within and without the hip hop space."

Almost certainly, the figure who appeared for the opening Madvillainy track Accordion was not the same individual who performed the rest of the gig.

Nevertheless, taking the next Doom we were given at his word, it proved to be a stunning exposition of why the New York MC’s lyrical style blends so well with the sort of intricate beats for which producer Madlib (the other half of the Madvillain project) is renowned.

The combination pits throbbing bass and often curious time signatures against a disarmingly direct and darkly comic vocal flow, no more evident than on Rhinestone Cowboy.

That's not easy to translate into a live context as it sounds, with some fans complaining of over-compressed sound and, consequently, indecipherable lyrics. When correctly executed, though, it’s an irresistible cocktail, particularly on tracks from last year’s release Born Like This.

Doom’s litany of collaborators, such as Danger Doom with Dangermouse, Wu Tang Clan, Nas, Talib Kweli, De La Soul and his appearance on the Gorillaz track November Has Come, point to his incredible versatility, and hopefully this live outing opens the gates for combinations of that calibre to finally make it to this side of the Atlantic.

It’s hard not to wonder quite who was presented as Doom for the first track, and it’ll be interesting to see whether other crowds tolerate it. Fans at a recent gig in Chicago were disappointed to find the whole set performed by a stand-in, but the Roundhouse crowd seemed willing to forgive the mis-step.

In a sense talk of impostors and speculation about new material (there’s said to be several albums on the way) feels a little academic.

Doom’s managed to occupy such an important – if sometimes understated – place in the development of hip hop in recent times that these first gigs on European soil are merely a catch up on the past decade. Once audiences have got over that, they’ll demand more.

Sonar 2010 takes place in Barcelona, June 17-19.