More about: SlipknotDaft PunkThe Knife

Last week, an eight-second clip of Daft Punk's Thomas Bangalter sitting on a sofa was viewed on YouTube more than 30,000 times. We doubt even Beyonce could rack up that many views by sitting motionless on a sofa. Why the fascination with Bangalter then?

Well, it's quite simple - Daft Punk never, ever show their faces. Thus, even when they're slightly balding, middle-aged men with glasses reading a magazine, the general public will receive  the footage like precious gold.

It's not just Daft Punk either. There are a surprising number of bands - Slipknot, The Knife, Deadmau5, Gwar - who are rarely seen in public without some sort of mask. It's a canny way of encouraging a sense of artistic mystique and, at the same time, walking along the street undisturbed.

Most of them though, at some point or another, have allowed their mask a day off to satiate their fans' curiosity. Here's 11 times that happened.

More about: SlipknotDaft PunkThe Knife