Usually, sold-out shows can be predicted well in advance, and come on the tails of a highly lauded album. Then there are shows like last night’s Land of Talk/The Besnard Lakes double bill where the fan bases have grown steadily, but quietly, and the last-minute sell-out comes as a pleasant surprise. Still, no one seemed more surprised than Land of Talk themselves, whose highly anticipated set was equal parts fulfilling and frustrating.

Singer/guitarist Elizabeth Powell started out by awkwardly, almost addressing us as Cleveland (where they’d apparently played last night to a half-full room) before moving into a jaw-dropping rendition of “Corner Phone.” Powell’s shredding took second fiddle only to her vocals, which rose, fell and quavered with a timbre not unlike Thom Yorke’s. The rest of the set followed suit. Powell forgot the words to two of her newer songs, struggled with cable connections and fought to tune two different failing guitars. But then Land of Talk would break into a song like “Some Are Lakes” or “Sea Foam,” where the combination of raw dissonant guitars and prominent low end coupled with Powell’s emotional facial expressions and yearning vocals made the audience erupt with cheers.

The Besnard Lakes’ frontman Jace Lasek (who produced the newest Land of Talk album) joined Land of Talk on backup vocals before his own set. Powell had initially said that his presence had made her night, but later cited the fact that the sold-out crowd actually stayed with her and her band, hanging onto every note despite the copious setbacks.

DCist photographer Nestor Diaz also shot several videos of parts of Land of Talk’s gripping performance. Check ’em out below: