Is The Hectic Glow a real band? lyndonriggall said:

Seems like you must be referring to this post! I am afraid that no, The Hectic Glow - awesome as they are - are not a real band. What they are instead is a fictional band loved by one of the main characters in John Green’s latest novel The Fault In Our Stars, which you should definitely read if you are a person.

Here’s the great thing about The Hectic Glow though - they have ticket stubs to their concerts. They have wristbands. They have t-shirts and a Facebook fan page. All made by their fans. They are the ultimate indie supergroup - so unknown and underground and perfect that no-one has even heard any of their music, and could never be allowed to either. I know this might seem weird and dumb, but just think about it for a second. The Hectic Glow will never ruin their career with an overtly commercial second album. The Hectic Glow will never storm off stage at one of their concerts because a roadie put the mic lead in a place where they tripped on it. The Hectic Glow will never betray the trust of their fans by appearing in a video supporting the most appalling Presidential candidate of the election.

The Hectic Glow will never let you down.

Perhaps tomorrow you will scribble ‘The Hectic Glow’ in box letters in your exercise book. And perhaps someone will ask you what it means. You will say something like: “I liked their old stuff better than their new stuff, which is weird, because I LOVE their new stuff”. And you’ll leave them Googling away, maybe even eventually finding this post.

You think a band has to actually be real to be fun to follow? You’ll be delighted to find how wrong you are. Congratulations, you just became a fan of The Glow. Maybe even their biggest fan. Enjoy.

Oh, and if you buy their first album, make sure you have space around you to dance before you hit Track 5. Trust me, you’ll need it.