Zola Jesus, so deep yet somehow simple

The platinum blond vocalist was surrounded by faux-fog with little else but backlighting to halo her tiny loosely clothed frame. That alone seemed to state that she was there for serious business, to show off a clarion-clear and booming voice and a lyrical éclat engulfed in rage and shame.

"I feel my hold on the ground / Take me under / Take me down," announced Jesus during "Poor Animal." She continued sadly but confidently: "I am bold but I don't matter / What my name is / Where I rise / It's the same when I leave and when I arrive / I'm not allowed to feel all right."

Accompanied by a sturdy band - an electric violinist, a keyboardist heavy on the steely synths, a drummer with nothing but tom-toms and cymbals - Zola Jesus' sound wasn't exactly spare, but it was coldly Euro-romantic in a manner reminiscent of Depeche Mode at its starkest. With gear-shifting noise behind her, Jesus turned "Shivers," a lonely tale of going to war, into a soft industrial shuffle. The vibrant whine of a violin helped make "Night" a chilly one.

For all the layered synthesizers, hammered drums, and hollered vocals, it was the stripped-down moodiness of "Skin," with Jesus accompanying herself on piano, that was the night's shining moment. "Safety net, don't hold me now / In this hole I've fallen down," sang Jesus with a single spotlight shining upon her.