With an audience running the gamut from vampire brides to drag queens, Boston’s Dresden Dolls (Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione) treated fans to its fifth anniversary concert Monday night at Avalon. The duo is currently recording an album expected for a spring 2006 release.

Despite some less than desirable sound balances on Avalon’s part and the incident of Viglione snapping a drumstick into his eye, the Dresden Dolls’ performance was a low-tech, musically focused work.

The duo covered both The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock n’ Roll.” Palmer had fun with the audience, punting rose heads, from a bouquet given to her by a fan, into the crowd and rejecting marriage offers.

While old songs such as “Coin-operated Boy” and “Missed Me” made up part of their set, the Dolls also played covers by Bright Eyes and tested out some of their new songs. “Alcoholic Friends” sounded reminiscent of the classic Dolls’ cabaret sound, but “Mandy Goes to Med School” gave off a bluesy vibe that featured a ragtime piano solo. This new sound will be a hit on the upcoming album.

Though the music could have sufficed alone, the addition of both a Cirque-du-Soleil-esque dancer who performed from strips of cloth hung from the ceiling, and an MC posing as a coin-operated boy made the experience more than musical. While the performance was outstanding, the enthusiasm from the costumed crowd accentuated the performance. m