When your claim to fame is a single English song, putting on your first concert in a country halfway across the world might be a little nerve-wracking. In terms of the American music scene, indie band Neon Trees is a relatively new sensation. After a lucky discovery by The Killers and a few opening gigs for the band, the wild success of their first album propelled the band to mainstream recognition—enough, apparently, to lure a full house at Tango last night.

The night started slowly, with the earsplitting and yet oddly sleep-inducing metal music of a house band keeping concertgoers on edge. Thankfully, opening act Pet Conspiracy, picked up the pace with a performance packed with personality (if not melody). From a distinctly animalistic wrestling match between the two female leads to a tender kiss between singer and drummer, their on-stage antics made for an opening fitting to the animal senses of Neon Trees.

Finally, the Trees themselves hit the stage. Not to be shown up by their opening acts, the band had the crowd cheering from the very start. Striding onstage in a bright red motorcycle jacket and matching sunglasses, lead vocalist Tyler Glenn wasted no time breaking into a spirited rendition of “Your Surrender.” Though the set list consisted primarily of tracks from their only album, Habits, a few extras—“Calling My Name” and “Phones”—slipped their way in. Particularly notable was the spectacular performance of their hit single Animal, which had the crowd just about to slip into an animal frenzy themselves. Meanwhile, Glenn made the most of a simple venue with heartfelt speeches and some wild dancing onstage, even taking a leap into the eager crowd.

Unfortunately, his charisma had the crowd so in love that his fellow band members seemed almost extraneous. However, this did little to detract from the raw energy of the performance, which kept the crowd hopping from the beginning to the very end of the eagerly anticipated encore. Five stars to Neon Trees for a spectacular first performance in Beijing—if they keep their promise to return, this is a band you shouldn’t miss.

Photos: Weibo user Junzimen