Crystal Pistol

"I've gone on a diet," said Mik Ireland, eyeliner dripping down his face as he paced between guitarists Pinto and Brian Bresett. "No more carbs, no more fucking fruit or vegetables, just cocaine and booze!" Three years ago, Crystal Pistol was opening on the small stage at the Piccadilly Pub and was no less sassy. And while their headlining Roxy show had more elbowroom, it featured the same fixated energy and exhibition of excess. The Vancouver glam rockers were celebrating the release of their self-titled debut CD, although the band's hardly been flying under the radar, with an opening slot for Marilyn Manson and appearance in Bruce McDonald's upcoming The Love Crimes of Gillian Guess, as well as the soundtrack, under their belts. At the Roxy, the five-piece blew through every song on the album with manic disregard for the neighbourhood, from the pummelling drums and battle-ram guitars on "All The Freaks" to the rowdy anti-anthem "XXIII" and a hyperactive version of their romantic ballad "Salt of the Earth," where Ireland suggested that the men in the crowd hold lighters up to the girls they liked. Pinto and Bresett, Greg Laikin (bass) and Dave Troutman (drums) kept the talent portion of the night together since poor sound made the vocals sketchy, and Ireland was too busy pouring beer on himself and screaming to notice. The crowd, heavily populated with giant blonde groupies, certainly didn't notice, singing along transfixed. One guy in a Thor T-shirt even rushed the stage for the break-neck stomper "Live Fast" to imitate Ireland's moves. The set ended with "No Fun City," named after a term tagged to Vancouver by city council members who haven't gone out since their senior prom. "I got a hate on for no fun city!" shouted Ireland, before aptly popping the cork off a bottle of champagne and feeding the crowd in the pit.