AFI has always been emo’s most goth-obsessed group. So it’s no surprise that Blaqk Audio — a new side project featuring AFI’s singer Davey Havok and guitarist Jade Puget — smears on the eyeliner, plugs in the synths, and rocks like it’s 1983. The band’s debut album, CexCells, cops new-wave riffs (think Depeche Mode), baritone-voiced profundity (thanks, Bauhaus), and dark-hearted introspection (just like the Birthday Party!). There are also plenty of electronic dance-floor workouts, which undoubtedly have the usually morose Havok and Puget smiling underneath all their black lipstick. Vive la gloom!
Mon., Sept. 17, 8:30 p.m.

This article appears in Sep 12-18, 2007.