Live4MusiC

By Victoria Barker

 

GROWING up, Neon Trees frontman Tyler Glenn had what you might call a "Billy Elliot complex".

Glenn, 28, loved performing as a child, and began taking dance lessons at the age of four.

But, like the fictional Elliot, his hobby made him the subject of bullying in school. It got so bad that he abandoned his passion at age 12.

On the line with my paper from California, where the alternative- rock band were playing shows, Glenn revealed: "I ended up feeling like I wasn't allowed (to love dance)...so I left it behind."

That's why the guy - who was also part of the choir in high school - was stoked that Neon Trees' biggest hit to date, Animal, was featured on musical- comedy series Glee.

"I get a lot of the inside jokes and the vibe and the geekiness of it," he said. "I appreciate that (the arts) have been embraced in that very comedic, fantastical way...to show (those kinds of) kids that they belong."

Neon Trees - comprising Glenn, guitarist Chris Allen, drummer Elaine Bradley and bassist Branden Campbell - will play their first Singapore date on Tuesday at Fort Canning Park.

Since being handpicked by The Killers' drummer Ronnie Vannucci to open for the Las Vegas rockers on a slew of tour dates in 2008, the Utah-based outfit have gone from strength to strength.

Their debut album, Habits, was well-received, and Animal hit No. 1 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. Neon Trees - which formed in 2005 - have since toured with bands like My Chemical Romance and 30 Seconds To Mars.

Despite attaining fame and success, Glenn has his head screwed on straight.

"As much as I enjoy feeling that I can create this (rock-star) persona, I don't want to be looked at as someone to be idolised," he said.

But that doesn't mean he doesn't go all out to engage his audience, especially during live shows (he's known to incorporate his "unorthodox, flailing dancing" into the band's shows, as this reporter witnessed at a recent London gig).