The Arctic Monkeys have confessed they accidentally threw David Bowie out of his seat at one of their gigs.

The group, currently number one with 'When The Sun Goes Down', failed to recognise the superstar when he sat down in an area they had reserved for their families for a show at New York's Bowery Ballroom. One of the lads asked him to move on, so the dejected Bowie had to watch from the back instead. The Monkeys were not alerted to their mistake until later in the night.

Apparently the star was not too bothered by the snub. “David came up afterwards and said he really enjoyed it," bassist Andy Nicholson told The Sun. "So that’s nice.”

“The lads were really embarrassed," added a source close to the band. "They didn’t think anyone would turn up to see them in New York, never mind a legend like David Bowie.

“David had heard all the hype and wanted to see them for himself.”