The XX at Massey Hall in Toronto Wednesday night. (Stan Behal, QMI Agency)

TORONTO - It's hard to live up to such huge hype as British atmospheric-rock-electro-pop band The xx found out on Wednesday night at Massey Hall.

The acclaimed trio of vocalist-guitarist Romy Madley Croft, vocalist-bassist Oliver Sim and beatmaker Jamie Smith arrived in town fresh from their Mercury Prize win in early September for their 2009 self-titled album for their largest Toronto show yet.

"This is very different than the Phoenix Theatre," noted Sim of their surroundings early in their hour-long performance.

"This is our very first North American headlining tour. We're all 21 (drinking age), so I'd like to say cheers to that," added Sim as he toasted the crowd with a beer and then took a healthy swig.

On the road for the last two years, the moody-sounding threesome have certainly gotten the nuances of their performance down pat, making every gesture - no matter how small - of their spare, dramatic music count.

Restraint is clearly their schtick.

Soundwise, think The Cure meets Everything But The Girl meets The Clash.

But with so much back and strobe lighting, and Croft's cool sounding guitar often drowning out her and Sim's sexy crooning, it was often hard to really connect with the group.

Of the two singers, the engaging and talkative Sim had the better stage presence as he rhythmically swayed from side to side, while Croft let her instrument and incredible vocals speak for her, only occasionally whispering a hushed "thank you" into her microphone.

With just one album under their belt, the trio basically ran through the re-arranged track listing of the disc with such standouts as Intro, Crystalised, Heart Skipped a Beat, Basic Space, VCR, Infinity, the show-ending Stars (complete with twinkling tiny white lights), and the Womack and Womack cover Teardrops another highlight too.

Meanwhile, an enthusiastic crowd eventually gathered at the front of the stage as the show built in intensity in the notably better second half.

"We love you Canada," said Sim as the audience went nuts right before the encore.

Let's put it this way, The xx haven't quite reached their potential yet as a live act but they are getting there, and can only get better.