Graham Parker and the Figgs drove straight from Omaha, Neb., to Birmingham for Friday's concert at Five Points South Music Hall. Figgs' guitarist Mike Ghent told the audience this early on, and admitted the musicians were ''a little fried.''

But the punk-pop group from Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and the British New Wave veteran rallied like true professionals. With the aid of cigarettes, beer and a few bottles of water, they swallowed their exhaustion and turned in a show that was intense and vibrant - among the best this reviewer has ever seen at Five Points.

It would have been easy for Parker and the Figgs to sleepwalk through their sets, as the crowd they faced was tiny, perhaps 30 listeners. Fortunately for those present, stage apathy was out of the question.

The Figgs came on late, around 9:45 p.m., and Parker didn't join them for his headlining set until 10:30 p.m. or so. But once the performers began to play, extremely good things came to those who waited.

The Figgs proved themselves a superlative opening act, in a Clash-meets-Beatles kind of way. Nothing fancy here, just a tight band pushing out straightahead, bounce-in-your-seat rock 'n' roll. With an edge, of course.

Even if you were a newcomer to the stuff on the set list (including ''Cheap Cassettes''), it was possible to plug into, and enjoy, every song.

Parker, smart as ever, chose the Figgs as both opener and backup band. Economical, sure, but it really worked. The brash group was on exactly the right wavelength for Parker, a sardonic rocker whose material is spiked with powerful emotion.

Blistering one minute, buoyant the next, Parker offered fans ''Fool's Gold,'' ''That's What They All Say,'' ''Soul Shoes,'' ''Discovering Japan,'' ''You Can't Be Too Strong,'' ''No Holding Back,'' ''Get Started, Start a Fire,'' ''Local Girls,'' ''Love Gets You Twisted'' and more.

Ignoring shouts for ''Stupefaction'' and ''White Honey,'' two old favorites, he presented a couple of new tunes from his latest album, Deepcut to Nowhere. ''High Horse'' and ''Syphilis & Religion'' might not be on par with ''Pourin' It All Out'' or ''Don't Ask Me Questions,'' but Parker still writes songs that sting. His voice cuts deep, too.

Finally, kudos must be paid to the sound engineer, who worked magic at the board and kept every note punchy, clean and clear at Five Points. Bravo.

**** GRAHAM PARKER WITH THE FIGGS
Five Points South Music Hall
Friday night