EDMONTON - It was a pop o' punk o' rock 'n' roll at the Shaw Conference Centre on Friday night, thanks to A.F.I.

The fashion parade at the concert told the story of the veteran North California punk-to-pop band's widespread popularity. Looking down, it was all indie kid - skinny black jeans and Chuck Taylor Converse shoes. Looking up, a rainbow's range of punk mohawks stuck out of the dense, sweaty crowd like cacti.

That a band can persevere for 15 years, as A.F.I. has, is worthy of respect. That it's also found a way to co-exist between underground and top-40 worlds (the band's latest album, Decemberunderground, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard charts) is even more remarkable.

You accomplish that by putting on an amazing live show, apparently.

"Good evening," said lead singer Davey Havok, "we are A.F.I."

The band then launched into a barrage of tunes, playing for just over an hour. Short sets from headlining acts have been a point of consternation lately - Del tha Funkee Homosapien at the Starlite Room a few weeks ago and Nelly Furtado at Ed Fest just a couple of days ago, spring to mind (it's a shortchanging that's bound to be the source of an editorial at some point). But A.F.I. really made the most of its hour, seldom coming up for air and cramming as many three-minute power-pop ditties into it as possible.

The whole band was dressed in white sleeveless shirts and white pants held up by black suspenders. If they had black bowler hats on, they would have looked exactly like the Droogs from Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. If you missed the concert and the look, don't worry; you'll probably see some weird kids wearing the same thing around town within a week.

And let's not forget the eyeliner - Havok has that now, too. The gothic flourish was just one more element that allows A.F.I. to defy easy categorization.

Tunes like Bleed Black ("I know I'll never be brought back to life," wailed Havok) lend the bleak and misunderstood a voice, while lyrics like "He wanted love, I taste the blood," from Love Like Winter are probably big amongst the vampire set.

If there's one tag A.F.I. has publicly resisted, it's that of being an emo band. The ban will probably want to visit its Wikipedia webpage, however, as "emo" is in the very first sentence.

I don't think A.F.I. is emo in the conventional mewling woe-is-me sort of way - they play way too hard and fast for it - but the band's lyrics have taken on a sensitive side to ensure Havok and company pin-up status in the bedrooms of teenage girls.

" 'I will wait for you,' she said, endlessly. 'I will wait for you,' so spoke, Misery," invoked Havok on Endlessly, She Said, before punctuating the heartfelt with screamo (scr-emo?) - he screams a lot - that should have left him hoarse after the show. The crowd ate up the pain, however.

From the depths of Shaw's mosh pit to those in the stands pumping their fists skyward, A.F.I. is pretty obviously a fan favourite in Edmonton. It was another solid concert in what's been a summer packed full of 'em.