Neon Trees Step Into The Limelight On My Chemical Romance Tour

NEW YORK — Neon Trees have kept themselves incredibly busy since their debut album, "Habits," dropped in March. Having toured with a number of big rock acts (30 Seconds to Mars, Paper Tongues, the Silver Twilight and Jessie J, to name a few), MTV News caught up with them in New York City as part of the tour opening for My Chemical Romance.

Tyler Glenn, Elaine Bradley, Branden Campbell and Chris Allen are not just some "up-and-coming" band, as was made evident by the die-hard My Chemical Romance fans who quickly recognized the band in the vicinity of the Terminal 5 concert venue, snapping pictures and demanding autographs. This band is also among the big-name artists who have had their music featured on "Glee," when the Warblers performed "Animal" in a recent episode. Lead singer Tyler credits the show with catapulting the hit single "back into the limelight."

Back before they were performing their way around the world and having other artists cover their music, Neon Trees as a band were off to a quiet start. "Chris and I grew up in Southern California," Tyler recalled about the band's guitarist. "We were neighbors, and our dads said, 'You two should hang out together because you keep talking about wanting to be in a rock band,' so we formed this bond, we met these two, and there you have it."

Interestingly enough, the eclectic band name does come from an electric sign. "This particular In-n-Out Burger," Tyler shared, referring to the popular California fast-food restaurant in his hometown, "had these neon palm tree lights, and later, when we needed a band name, we decided that Neon Trees fit the aesthetic."

The band caught their fateful break a few years back when Ronnie, the drummer from the Killers, caught one of their shows and asked them to open for a couple of upcoming shows.

And nowadays, the band, whose roots branch from Southern California to Salt Lake City, Utah, are big enough to share a stage with and impress My Chemical Romance. "What they were trying to do was fun and colorful and different," remarked MCR's Gerard Way. "They kill it every night. They're amazing."

Drummer/vocalist Elaine noted what makes the band unique, including the straight-edge lifestyle all four members follow. "None of us drink or do drugs or anything like that," she smiled. "So it's fun to be the exception to the old rule of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll because this is our art and our passion, but it's also something we want to be doing for a long time."

The band is currently headlining its own summer tour and shows no signs of stopping its tireless work of rocking on as many stages as possible.

"I think one of the things we're good at is putting on a show," Elaine said about what it was like to be an opening act for My Chemical Romance. "I don't think any of us see it as like, 'Oh we gotta open ...' I think we see it more as like, 'Yes! It's an opportunity to make more people believers!' "