Live Review: AFI – Birmingham

Live Review: AFI – O2 Institute, Birmingham

24th August 2026
Support: TR/ST
Words & Photos: Tim Finch

There is something fitting about AFI bringing their dark, dramatic blend of punk, post-hardcore and gothic alternative rock to Birmingham’s O2 Institute. With a sell out crowd packed into the venue anticipation was high from the moment the lights went down.

TR/ST opened the night with a unique performance that immediately established a darker, electronic mood. Fronted by Robert Alfons, the Canadian project brought an intense combination of industrial electronics, darkwave and dancefloor energy to the stage. The contrast with what was to follow worked well, with pulsing rhythms and dense electronic textures filling the Institute and giving the audience something considerably different from the guitar-driven attack of AFI.

At times the synth driven tunes felt like the soundtrack from Stranger Things, at other times they were less harrowing, but they were always impactful. Bathed in little light, and with a stage presence which is anything but energetic, the duo let the music do the talking and the assumed masses stood enthralled by it all.

AFI wasted no time making their presence felt. ‘Strength Through Wounding’ launched the set with a furious burst of intensity before ‘Girl’s Not Grey’ and ‘Love Like Winter’ brought two of the band’s biggest songs into the early stages of the performance. The combination was immediately effective the crowd bouncing and singng every word back. ‘Holy Visions’ and ‘Ever and a Day’ continued the momentum, while ‘End Transmission’ provided another huge singalong moment.

The set then dug deeper into the band’s catalogue. ‘Behind the Clock’ led into ‘17 Crimes’ and ‘Bleed Black’, with the latter proving particularly powerful in a live setting. ‘Beautiful Thieves’ and ‘The Boy Who Destroyed the World’ pushed the intensity further, the latter receiving one of the night’s biggest reactions.

As the main set progressed, the atmosphere inside the Institute became increasingly intense. ‘Nooneunderground’ and ‘Endlessly, She Said’ gave the performance a more atmospheric edge before ‘Blasphemy & Excess’ brought the aggression back to the forefront. ‘Silver and Cold’ closed the main set in suitably dramatic fashion, leaving the audience demanding more. The response was immediate, and AFI returned for an encore that delivered exactly what the crowd wanted.

‘The Days of the Phoenix’ opened the encore with another huge response, then came the inevitable closing statement, ‘Miss Murder’. One of AFI’s defining songs, it transformed the venue into a wall of voices as the crowd sang along to every word. After a set that moved confidently across the band’s history, it was a fitting way to bring the night to a close.

Photo credits: Tim Finch

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