KEY POINTS:
Neil Finn appeared on one of the Flight of the Conchords' first recordings.
Now, the Wellington duo have overtaken New Zealand's musical royalty in the popularity stakes.
The Conchords have soared to No 3 on the United States pop charts with their first album.
It sold 52,000 copies in the week ended April 27, says tracking firm Nielsen SoundScan.
That chart performance sets a record for a New Zealand act, surpassing the No 12 peak for Crowded House's first album in 1986.
Crowded House founder Finn had a guest role on the Conchords' 2005 six-part BBC Radio series, before their American HBO television show.
The duo's manager, Murray, pestered Finn for advice for the struggling musicians in an episode called Neil Finn saves the day.
Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie have cult status in the US because of their television show.
But now they have graduated to stardom - their album outsold US pop starlet Ashlee Simpson.
Many of the songs on Flight of the Conchords featured on their television show, a comedy series set in New York.
This year, the Conchords won the comedy Grammy for the EP The Distant Future, which reached No 116 on the Billboard 200 chart.
NME magazine said the duo caused a "Beatles-like frenzy" when they performed in Los Angeles a week ago.
Hundreds of screaming fans had to be turned away, and the crowd rivalled that for Paul McCartney, who played at the same venue last year.
Crowded House and the Conchords will cross paths in New York where both groups are on tour - but it seems the Wellington pair are the bigger drawcard.
Crowded House finished its three-night run in the Big Apple at the 900-seat Fillmore at Irving Plaza last night.
Clement and McKenzie play two nights at the 1500-seat Town Hall Theater next week.
