Band's famous - and forgetful

Naked and Famous has international recognition. Photo / Supplied

They are one of New Zealand's biggest musical success stories of the past few years. So you'd think they'd remember us.

Chart-topping Kiwi band the Naked and Famous have boasted to the international media of how they made it on their own, "self-made, self-produced, self-funded".

Only thing is: the band seemed to have forgotten that the taxpayer gave them a $115,000 hand-up.

The band's album is in the Top 25 in Britain, and its latest single has gone gold in Australia.

The album has also charted in the USA and Germany, and won the up-and-coming band award at the UK's NME awards this year.

"What was it like," asked a BBC interviewer, "when Young Blood hit number one at home?"

Band member Aaron Short replied: "It was a huge deal, especially because we'd been doing everything on our own terms - self-made, self-produced, self-funded."

But fans pointed out that the NZ Music Commission gave them a $10,000 grant last year so they could tour Australia.

And NZ on Air music manager Brendan Smyth said the band had received $105,000 in grants over three years.

NZ on Air gave the band $35,000 for seven music videos, $50,000 for their debut album Passive Me, Aggressive You, and $20,000 on an international radio promotion grant.

"Some people might use 'self-funded' to mean 'not beholden to a big record company'," Smyth said, "and that's true for them."

Music blogger Hussein Moses questioned the band. "How are New Zealand taxpayers supposed to feel about funding a band for $100,000-plus and then effectively being written out of their success story?"