Having read that AFI were named by SPIN magazine as one of the 25 greatest live acts of all time, I had great expectations on the eve of their gig at Festival Hall. Back in Australia, after a sell-out August 2003 tour, AFI were here to quench the fire inside each and every member of their loyal following known as the Despair Faction. The AFI everyone now knows and loves has in fact been fifteen years and seven albums in the making, with its roots and two original members Davey and Adam spanning their musical relationship all the way back to 1991. However long this may seem for a band that has only recently acquired widespread notoriety, AFI always seemed destined for big things.

Big Day Out 2006 was no doubt a major let down for fans and casual listeners alike. From Sing The Sorrow, before their new album December Underground, AFI found fame through Billboard hits such as Girls Not Grey and The Leaving Song pt. 2. This was the basis for their popularity in Europe and the US, and Australia included them on the Big Day Out bill. It was much to fans’ dismay when they pulled out of playing our national festival to focus on making the best album they could. Two years in the making and December Underground was the result – a pleasant result and killer of an album with a big sound that was worth the wait.

Festival Hall has seen some truly amazing live shows over the decades it’s been standing on Dudley Street, Melbourne and despite its age, no one can deny that it’s still a venue worth utilising. And boy did AFI go all out. Incessant musical bleeding from New Zealand band The Bleeders gave legions of punk/alternative clad rockers something to temporarily pacify them before the main attraction. They played rockin’ tracks from their debut album As Sweet As Sin as they witnessed general admission become packed out easily enough, an army of AFI disciples assembled. Between the time when the support act finished and the draw card began, there was that all too common longing and retarded impatience. This crowd had all of that and the visual was a sardine packed sight as many crammed into the central vicinity. The first ten rows formed the familiar sight of a tightly packed moshpit bracing for prospective pandemonium. The stage area was darkened with a red tinge and black mesh draped from the light fixtures above. A spotlight controller geared up for the show and was tested out for its round projection, adjusted over again. As a pounding snare drum thumped and vibrated its bass throughout the hall I noticed the peculiarly dressed stage hand, wearing white from shoulders to feet and bearing an AFI logo. The show hadn’t even begun and one of many young girls who couldn’t handle the pushing and shoving was air lifted out by a burly security guard. As the moment drew closer, I counted at least four more lasses opting out of the progressive chaos that had amassed in the front row and surrounds. Shortly after, a welcoming and drawn out roar erupted as the introduction to the night amplified a high pitched melody that introduced us to the place of December Underground and Prelude 12/21.

AFI’s light show was eerie and spectacular to say the least, beginning a night that became nothing short of brilliant. To our open-mouthed shock and pleasant surprise AFI appeared before us all in sheer white attire, all four of them cheekily discarding all that black metal/punk conformity. How strange and sheepish must this mass of teens have felt? After the initial shock, AFI hyped the crowd into embracing this new light with a studio quality assortment of songs from their growing catalogue. First up the song Girls Not Grey was played as familiar sounding and precise as it was three years ago. Throat wrenching screams from both Davey and his fans resonated as a haze from smoke machines gave the stage a mysterious feel. What an awesome sight to behold; it was like AFI were the shepherds herding their black sheep into a magical, musical mania.

Davey bounded around like an energetic ray of light, his band members following his lead as if they were connecting with his energy. Musically, they bounced off each other and their chemistry and bond could easily be viewed. AFI split open another from Sing The Sorrow - The Leaving Song Pt.2, particularly complemented by magical guitar. The evening saw a remarkable and acrobatic performance by AFI and this was only after a few songs. “Good evening,” says Davey. “Welcome Melbourne, we are AFI.” This was followed by the pleasantly terrorising Summer Shudder. “Under the summer rain I burnt away,” were lyrics that nested inside the mind for a little while after the gig and this song was amongst many other favourites AFI seemed to play with ease and cohesion. An amplified scrape of the pick then kicked off Kill Caustic. Davey was still singing in studio quality as he jumped around, running and springing with considerable leverage from one end of stage to another. His presence was undeniable all round as he worked hard to entertain the very happy crowd, but it all seemed so smooth. A massive crowd mosh ensued to “don’t ever speak my name” – such cutting lyrics and rhythmic riffs. The spotlight was then on a silhouetted Hunter to our left as he lifted his instrument in elation and at the adulation as he played it in the air to an extremely roused reception. AFI revelled in the spotlight and appeared as experienced musicians and born entertainers.

SPIN magazine made no mistake; certainly one of the best live acts this reviewer has ever seen – unmatched. Somewhere in between, having been so blown away by the confident show of talent we heard Davey ask of the crowd “you guys alright? Fantastic!” For the first of several times, AFI commenced a song with their backs to us in amongst a cool blue light as a slower song was played. Davey proved to be a very dramatic, animated performer and exceptional entertainer, catering to desires without hiccup. Endlessly, She Said created an upbeat presence of mope rock to which Davey emoted “I will wait for you,” to which the crowd echoed “I will wait” as it burst back into the chorus. The set break down had AFI lit under a blue light again as their whites were illuminated. A piano crept in as a rainy atmosphere gathered around. “Give you my day my beautiful one,” introduced Davey’s announcement: “this next song is for The Bleeders”. A melting guitar solo then tore through like high voltage down a power line. The next song was an embraced semi acoustic song that was down beat. “Be no angels risen above… I cannot stay here”. An insanely deafening “I watch the stars fall from the sky” had its name firmly imprinted on the evening’s set list and as Jade Puget broke into killer riffing and shredding up the airwaves, Davey knelt down to scream out the song as it faded into an echo. A shoe was thrown into the air by excitable patrons as Davey sounded out lyrics like “when you want to walk away, December everyday, from years before”. Recent radio favourite Love Like Winter was received well and Davey surely played the part of messiah as he proceeded to walk off the stage directly into the scores of hands and arms, only too happy to hold him up while he sang the sorrow. Striding amongst adoring souls, Davey was an amazing sight to behold as he kept right on vocalising, returning to the stage for the beginning of Miss Murder.

We all stood in admiration to see out an encore performance containing nothing less than pure energy and awesome reiterations of a marvellously performed set list. No Surprises by Radiohead played and perfectly captured my feelings of AFI’s visit to Melbourne. For some intent on meeting their idol, it was a half -hour wait at the stage door before Davey emerged to converse and sign autographs. He is a frontman for a lineup that is considered one of the world’s most intensely worshipped bands.