KEY POINTS:
It's dark in here. But not cold. It's sweaty and hot. The masses, mostly dressed entirely in black and with shiny charcoal hair, are waiting eagerly.
The most fiercely loyal stand facing the stage, their stained black lips in a brooding mood - and wait. They know they're
about to witness something big.
When the maniacal Wish by Nine Inch Nails is cut dead, the crowd gasp, and out walk AFI - short for A Fire Inside, the band from Ukiah, California.
I've been to a few gigs at the St James, but I've never seen a crowd as rabid and baying as this.
Davey Havok, singer, songwriter and flouncing frontman, looks like a cross between Alex from A Clockwork Orange and one of the gals from Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. But tonight, rather than being a raving queen, he's king. He strides around the stage, somewhere between a prance and a staunch walk, fluttering his false eyelashes (yes, actual falsies). He flings his silky oversized bowl-cut with precision, and drops the microphone and catches it to accentuate his song lines.
And he can sing, moving between screaming, serenading and droid-like vocals effortlessly.
On record, like this year's Decemberunderground, AFI can sound flaky and over-dramatic.
In concert they are powerful and you can't help being caught up in that drama.
Songs like Summer Shudder and Love Like Winter shine, while the big highlight is the smouldering and heavy Silver and Cold from 2003's excellent Sing the Sorrow.
The crowd, many of whom are probably members of the devout Despair Faction fan club, are in fine voice, taking over from Havok on many occasions.
They will be even more devoted to the AFI cause after this show, their first in New Zealand. AFI are tight, stylish and professional.
It must have been a dream support gig for the Bleeders, who blasted through a typically tight and rampant set.
There are not too many bells and whistles, or showy lights, in the AFI set - just great playing, raw passion and killer songs. The beautifully epic Miss Murder is a stunner.
AFI are labelled an emo band, a term to describe the emotional form of punk-rock they play. But really, they're just a rock band with hardcore punk roots.
Thanks to bands like AFI and My Chemical Romance, and their loyal, mostly young, fans, the music scene is in good hands. A fire inside.
