The Michigan band explain the issue with the replay of their song Beggin’, saying: ‘We’re in the business of making money.’
On the opening night of the American Music Awards, the award show covered the classic folk song from the folk singer Richard Thompson. But the maneskin hat worn by the band, Hot Water Music, as they played the Thompson composition had been brought in from another night.
TMZ had to post the band’s explanation – a photo of co-lead singer Nicholas Robinson wearing the maneskin, while fans again argued it was tasteless for Hot Water Music to have included the offending element in the performance. In a statement, the band wrote: “We’re in the business of making money. While honoring a great folk artist, we miscalculated the time it would take for our initial line to come in sync with the opening number. We regret that a lapse in clock work resulted in something that was a distraction.”
The band have subsequently caused controversy before, posting on Facebook in September 2014 that, “We wish we had more new songs to play for you.” Fan protests and protests from record labels, however, had stymied their progress, with Time criticising the band at the time for its “bizarre lyrics” and “irreverent, sing-along way of playing”.