Worst Band Names

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Nick has only himself to blame for suggesting this one. ;-)

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

There are stacks of stupid names, in grindcore, death metal and black metal

Circle of Dead Children http://members.tripod.com/~circlegrind/ The google description Aural decimating grindcore possessing the perfect combination of extreme sickening brutality and emotion !

(sad isn't it)

Pig Destroyer

Anal Cunt

Festival of Dead Dear

.. there are hundreds of more, in grindcore/death metal.

― DJ Martian, Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

If "Grindcore" was a band name it would win.

― Greg, Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Cud.

― jel, Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

ABBA

― Pete, Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

supertramp

moist

ladytron

yes

city-based names: boston, chicago, etc

ratt

― sundar subramanian, Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Do individual performers' names count ? Then, Al B. Sure !

― Patrick, Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Rather stupid question really. You just don't get it. Consider the dilema of our forefathers, stuck in a rotting trench, dead bodies all around, with minutes left to live, gun & cannon fire shooting overhead & there's no way out, you'd probably laugh at your peril ! Don't mock what you don't understand.

Oh yes, Ned Raggetts Atomic Dustbin - f*ck*ng appalling name.

― The Jester, Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Foot and Mouth! I warned you!

Anyway, band names. The thing about band names is that so many of them have been worn down by endless usage and we forget how awful they are. eg.

The Beatles (apalling and irrelevant insectoid pun) The Beach Boys (to quote Tanya: "they are boys! they go to the beach!") Oasis (sounds like Alan Partridge's backing band)

Something I was thinking the other day - what was the first 'abstract' band name? Not a 'the [noun]s' name or something purely descriptive. Love was fairly early. Ditto Pink Floyd.

― Tom, Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'm glad someone mentioned Ladytron. Certain people are trying to convince me that they are a band worth listening to, but I find it hard to get past the quite shockingly bad name. Someone help me.

― Ally C, Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I think Killing Joke is a rather ingenious name- the verbal equivalent of a logical spittake!!! It took much more imagination to come up with that name than many of the misspelled names of the eighties.

Def Leppard Motley Crue

And others are so uninspiring to hear, they have no imagination:

Girlschool Loudness Air Supply

Please give me a break from this jackassery!!!

― bonkers, Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Screeching Weasel Metallica No Use For A Name (oh, we just give up already!) Alice Donut Obsequious Cheesecake (sp?) Kid Rock Limp Bizkit

― , Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ween. It's just *stupid*

― Ally, Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

keeping with the punk/crapmetal names...

a moon beneath the grindsludge.

― Kevin Enas, Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

you better be nice to killing joke or ill blast you in the afterlife you fucking milktoast motherfuckers.

― tupac shakur, Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

...and if you start talking shit about the Spin Doctors, 2Pac will *really* fuck you up.

― Patrick, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The Band, of course.

And Ladytron is a shockingly good name for the band (and it is an excellent song by Roxy Music...erm...wrong thread).

― Omar, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

the real people. self explanatory...

― gareth, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

lacklustre: an american shoe-gazing troupe, always elicit a wry chuckle. ladytron is a fantastic name, a great song, slightly diasappointing band.

― cw, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Spandau Ballet Blue Rondo à la Turk Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Gorky's Zygotic Mynci Prefab Sprout

the worst of all is Soul Coughing

What's wrong with Ladytron?

― Nick, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

---- What's wrong with Ladytron? ----

Nothing of course...excellent band.

But I remembered another very bad band name (since were into the question of 80s revivalism): Johnny Hates Jazz.

― Omar, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

is there a more stupid question that the one at the top of this page? i have to agree with whoever said 'prefab sprout', absolutely pathetic name. 'killing joke' is an excellent name. it implies so much that is reflected in the music. in fact, i can't think of a _better_ name for a band. more dreadful band names: daisy chainsaw, the las, travis, s club 7 and practically all manufactured bands, brilliant (youth's band after he left kj), flock of seagulls, sting (ok, not a band but what the hell), loud, the style council... plenty more where they come from

― the-last-laugh, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Which reminds me of: The Police! What a dreadful name.

― Omar, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Obscure and bad UK indie bands:

saidflorence - insisted on awful name being spelt lower case.

Fretblanket - no comment needed really.

― Tom, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

the worst pop name has got to belil bow wow

― yvette burgess, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Nelly is a pretty ridiculous stage name. I mean, it's not very hard ass, is it? He might as well be walking around calling himself Sharon.

― Ally, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

'the bush the tree and me'. sweet jesus on his bike, i should have known from the name they'd sound bad. 'manyeung' - i could never tell if it was a typo. 'sir bald diddley and his wigouts' (or something) . actually i find this one amusing. 'weeping jesus' - surprisingly NOT goth metal hell. stupid things like 'coldplay', 'travis' 'idlewild' that mean absolutely nothing. still, at least it's descriptive.

― alix, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Is there a worse band name than Killing Joke?

YES. I should think that Killing Jesus would be worse than Killing Joke. THERFORE, Killing Jesus is a worse band name than Killing Joke. Yes.

Yes, Virginia. There is a worse band name than Killing Joke.

Jester 86 Understands Something.....

Jester Eighty Six LOVES JESUS!

PEACE.

PS.....Cheese is Rice.

Yours In THEE LOVE of JESUS CHRIST,

CAL,

or in other words...

j86.

― Corey A Lyman, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Killing Jesus would be an awesome name, actually. Except that with a name like that, you know the music will be crap. Probably some sort of nu-metal.

― Ally, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

There was a "Creaming Jesus" of course.

― The Jester, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

By all accounts there was a band circa 1971 called Tractor. You can't get worse than that, surely.

Apart from Taunton, of course. But then they didn't really exist ...

― Robin Carmody, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Mustard Plug. Ugh.

― Steven James, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The Band I thought sounded pretty stupid. Warrant, Supertramp, Monster Magnet, bush, Linkin Park and weezer top off my list for worst band names.

Grand Prize Winner for this category goes to . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Papa Roach. The name is about as bad as the music.

― Luptune Pitman, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Dio.

― JM, Friday, 23 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Tool & Korn & those kind of things.

― D.Zarakov, Friday, 23 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

...no wait, how about 4 Non Blondes. Or Sixpence None the Richer or Toad the Wet Sprocket...OK I won't go on.

― D.Zarakov, Friday, 23 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Warrior Soul and Reigndance.

― Nicole, Friday, 23 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Mainstream. The thought of a third-rate indie band placing themselves in the same category as Celine, J-Lo and the Spice Girls is something I find rather amusing.

― Madchen, Friday, 23 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

U2 (not a reference to the spy planr, apparently - the idea was that the fans were integral to the what the band's identity or sommat - like 'You too' - yeach!)

Deep Blue Something (in the Sixpence None The Richer bracket)

Limp Biskit

(grim, but quite apt I suppose) Muse (hateful. conclusive proof that you can judge a book by its cover, unless it's by Gorky's Zygotic Mynci and it's err.. not a book

Echoboy (yeah - cause that'll really make your band stand out)

The Style Council (was this self parody?)

Stereophonics (90s band name by numbers)

Dub Federation (might have been OK if there wasn't already a Dub Syndicate. at least ADF added an 'Asian' bit for interest)

Almost all those one-word names chosen by every shitpop chancer in mid 90s Britain.

― Nick, Friday, 23 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

...not that the meaningless one-word names favored by non-descript 90's US alt-rock bands were any better. Anyone have any fond memories of Wool ?

Also, any 90's band name with "Super" in it.

― Patrick, Friday, 23 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ladytron: never heard of them, naturally, but 96 is right: the name sucks a big one.

Radiohead.

Coldplay.

The Cranberry Saw Us.

― the pinefox, Friday, 23 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i dunno i never really payed much attention to band names i mean my fav band has a pretty crappy name if think about it Our Lady Peace? it has nothing to do with the theme or feel of the music yaddayaddayadda

― Mog, Friday, 23 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Hear'Say (aka Popstars) - there is nothing remotely "word of mouth" about ITV's creation. Spliff Cub 7 anyone ? (I'm sure this has been touched upon but nowt unplanned about the "spliff" incident. Pure publicity stunt to ditch their "pre-teen" audience & move into another market). Arrgh, the music business, don't you just love it !

― The Jester, Saturday, 24 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Toad The Wet Sprocket is a fine name because:

a) It's a Monty Python ref.

b) They represent the West Side. Goleta Power.

― JM, Saturday, 24 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

answer to first abstract band-name (ie no "the"):

LOVE and TOMORROW are contenders.

but maybe THEM predates?

(non-rock answer - tho of course they played rock support slots at the key moment - wd be AMM: explanation of which acronym I notice Keith Rowe is still keeping shtumm abt, in current Wire)

― mark sinker, Monday, 26 March 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The Meat Puppets

― Nick, Monday, 26 March 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

...I'm glad there's a band called TOOL tho' 'cause it's nice to see those guys walking around with their dreadlocks & their stupid pants with "TOOL" emblazoned across their t-shirts.

― Duane Zarakov, Tuesday, 3 April 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

one month passes...

Wang Chung

― Nick, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

My least favourite band name - echobelly I mean, who ever thought that was a good one?

Also "Northern Uproar" did suggest boring meat 'n' 2 veg britrock of the most ZZZzzz-inducing sort. Fortunately.

x0x0

― Norman Fay, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Don't know what it is about Commonwealth membership that makes people stupid, but any Aus/NZ/Canadian band who think their name is funny. Step forward Mental as Anything, Tragically Hip, Lowest of the Low, Barenaked Ladies, Hoodoo Gurus, Flash and the Pan, Beasts of Bourbon etc. (Although there is a band out of Toronto called Armed & Hammered, which I think is amusing, and something from Oz called I Spit on Your Gravy)

― tarden, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The Ass Ponys. Horrid...

― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

joshroom.

― fred solinger, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

the orb - if you cite the album titles as evidence.
(can't even bring myself to remember what they were.)

― K-reg, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Death Cab for Cutie. Tad. The Meatmen. The Bloodhound Gang.

Killing Joke is actually a pretty good band name.

― Tadeusz Suchodolski, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

tarden, the better 'bourbon' band name than Beasts of Bourbon (better WORSE I mean), is The Bourbon Tabernacle Choir. You also left out the more obvious Toronto choice - The Barenaked Ladies. (or was that on purpose?)

But hands down, the two most unforgivable band names I've ever heard are oddly enough, both 'soul' related - The Soul Attorneys & Blessid Union of Souls. p.s. Soul Coughing is a really bad name too.

― Kim, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Tarden - none of the bands you mention are from NZ, thanks. Split Enz are tho', & that name is pretty rude on 2 levels, (1) the obvious & (2) putting "NZ" in the name to inspire some sort of patriotic angle...what a "i come from some fucking little who-gives-a-shit country" fuckin hick thing to do.

― duane zarakov, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The (International) Noise Conspiracy. Loses extra points for the parenthesis, and for the fact that they are basically the bastard child of the Dandy Warhols and the Manics, yet somehow still manage to create the worst music I've ever heard.

― Ally, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yet more Canucks - Chixdiggit, whose name is so cringeworthy I wouldn't even look it up on Napster.

― tarden, Wednesday, 30 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

80s metal had some good ones. Laaz Rokkitt, Main EE Axe, Roxx Regime (who went on to be Stryper). I doubt I spelled any of these correctly. The funniest thing is there was a Cleveland Kid Wykid who had an ugly rivalry with the Toronto Kyd Wykked!

― tarden, Wednesday, 30 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

duane, I'd have to agree that the Enz had a terrible name - despite the fact that I count myself as a fan. But to be fair, it must be one of the first to make use of deliberate misspelling as novelty memory hook (other than the obvious like Led Zep). I think it's the merciless barrage of 'creative' spellings since, that makes it so cringe-worthy in the rear view. I think Neil sensed this (as he began his 'take-over') and hence, at the very height of their commercial success and international name recognition, the Enz gave way to the House. In turn CH has also been scrapped so Neil can now peddle his songs as a relatively unknown solo act. I respect the fact that he refuses to cash in on a 'brand' for the sake of success. I wish I could say the same for the marketers which insist on slapping "THE SONGWRITING FORCE BEHIND..." labels on every damn thing he does now. I really *should* have posted this on the CH thread - but people seemed to bent on dissin' my boy Neil (despite his fabulous hair n' pants!) that I didn't want to spoil the fun.

― Kim, Wednesday, 30 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The Australian version of Popstars are called Scandal'Us - which is much worse than Hear'Say.

Also, Third Eye Blind is a bad bad name.

― Fidelma Maher, Thursday, 31 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The Armageddon Dildos.

Band names that I like more than the band itself: Planes Mistaken For Stars (which I lifted for a poem) and Sweep the Leg, Jonny.

― bnw, Thursday, 31 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

OK Duane, here's a side-splittingly funny band name - THE DEAD C. Get it? 'C'? 'Sea'? Notes? Oh.

― tarden, Thursday, 31 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Kim-is-Grim claims Split Enz invented the band-name misspelling. Surely this can't be so? But I can't seem to get my Giant Unabridged Oxford Book of Totally Useless Facts open this morning, to check.

And yes, Led Zep certainly doesn't count (besides, they did this so as cleverly not to be mispronounced: as in Lead Zep and all the little follow-up Zeps).

Um, nor do the Beatles, tho I can't think why not.

― mark s, Thursday, 31 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The Human Beinz - nobody but them!

― tarden, Thursday, 31 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

dates, Tarden, dates!!! Facts! A fellow needs facts!!

[incidentally, d'you actually work near Islington Sainsbury's car-park? Cuz so do I... ]

― mark s, Thursday, 31 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Hey, ho, well. Erm. mark, I did say "one of" not THE first, as in the clever-clever novelty simply hadn't gotten old and molden yet. yeh- yeah.

― Kim, Thursday, 31 May 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Tarden you are wrong!! Well, you could be wrong: I can't finetune my pedantometer precisely enough. The Cyrcle ("Red Rubber Ball") and the Cryan Shames ("Sugar'n'Spice" were both operational in 1966: the Human Beinz only really surface in 1967.

Kim: I wasn't trying to score a point (erm, no, not at all) — I was just certain that misspelling went back some way before the Enz era, even. So "one of" would be misleading.

This all only counts if we also discount the Surfaris, of course.

― mark s, Saturday, 2 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

what about the Sun Ra Arkestra? if you say it with a american accent it's just a mis-spelling rather than a neologism(?right?)(i'm trying it out now, saying "arkestra" & "orchestra" over & over w/ various "american" accents. [but real quietly 'cause my girlfriend's asleep]...uh yeah, OK, not *that* convincing....)

― duane z., Saturday, 2 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Lavemang-smugglarna Kristet utseende the knark

they might not seem so bad for the non swedes but just trust me on this one mkay?

― Anders Loco, Saturday, 2 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I have a tape of Low playing a radio show in Minnesota in '96; after their set is done, the DJ mentions a few upcoming shows by other bands. One of those shows was a double-bill of "Voodoo Love Mint" and "Puddle Wonderful". I always found those to be quintessential bad indie-band names; much like the entire oeuvre of They Might Be Giants, it harkens back to all the unfunny people I knew in high school and college who, among other things, believed that Pythonesque absurdity could be had merely by putting together incongruous adjectives and nouns.

Trying to name a band is hard as hell; to pick something out that conveys a bit of what you do -- but without sounding pretentious or jokey or nondescript -- is amazingly difficult. The more serious your band is, the harder it gets.

― Phil, Sunday, 3 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Oh, and yes, I know that "puddle wonderful" is a cummings phrase. It doesn't matter, though; such an allusion, clever as it may be, does not prevent the name from initially annoying me. And, let's face it -- we do, human as we are, overlook great bands, books, movies and so on, because they're badly named. How many people have skipped Chet Raymo's The Dork of Cork because, at a glance, they thought it was a jokey book about a very absorbent phallus, rather than a lovely lyrical tale about an Irish dwarf?

― Phil, Sunday, 3 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yogi Phlegm (jazz-rock fusion band from the early 70s).

― scott, Monday, 4 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Planes Mistaken For Stars (which I lifted for a poem)

Paul Westerberg stole that one too ;)

― Larms, Wednesday, 6 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Nembrionic Hammerdeath

Gotta love them metal bands.

― Nathan, Tuesday, 19 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

one month passes...

Stryper is horrible and R.E.M with all the "it doesn't mean rapid eye movement" business is horrible as well.

― Lindsey B, Saturday, 11 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Apparently the most popular band at my friend Matt's Long Island high school was named...

"Tijuana Caravan"

― Tracer Hand, Saturday, 11 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

RAPEMAN....but I like the record.

― David, Sunday, 12 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

It is in tribute to Japanese comic, no?

Built To Spill is a winner (or is that loser?). Moldy Peaches.

NERD (like the record though).

Daft Punk.

Any band with number.

dB's (or is that Deebees? DBs? db-s?).

THE BEATLES.

Modest Mouse.

Guided by Voices (christian rock in beercan disguise).

― nathalie, Sunday, 12 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I forgot to mention: DAAU (aka Die Anarchistische Abent Unterhaltung)

― nathalie, Sunday, 12 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

fluff, fluff, fluff and the cuddleyness

dalek beach party

― flowersdie, Wednesday, 15 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Somebody mentioned Rapeman. Would that apply to the Amboy Dukes as well?

― dave q, Wednesday, 15 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

two weeks pass...

"Steamboat Willie & The Electric Techno Buttplugin' MuthaFuckas'. ........and that's the truth!!!

― Jedeye Jonzee, Thursday, 30 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Mott the Hoople. Seriously stupid name for anything, let alone a band.

― thomas boyd, Sunday, 9 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Llama Farmers crap name crap band.

In defence of Prefab Sprout old Paddy Sprout sez he's was trying to sound as unlike the rest of the postpunk acts as possible so picked a name which sounded like a late 60's/early 70's prog band.

― Billy Dods, Sunday, 9 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

And, I believe, McAloon originally thought of the name in 1973 anyway.

― Robin Carmody, Sunday, 9 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

two months pass...

Super Furry Animals anybody?

― Dave S, Sunday, 25 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

How about the Rainbow Butt Monkeys?

― Kim, Sunday, 25 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Groove Armada. I mean, really. Come on.

Aleka's Attic and Alisha's Attic.

― Arthur, Sunday, 25 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Reigndance. Ugh.

― Nicole, Sunday, 25 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

so you haven't changed your mind on that one, nicole?

killing joke is still the stupidest

― mark s, Sunday, 25 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I forgot I posted it before. But I just like typing it anyway.

Reigndance, Reigndance, Reigndance!

― Reigndance, Sunday, 25 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh Killing Joke clearly is not the stupidest name. How can it possibly be the stupidest when there's another band out there that decided to call themslves Helloween?

Reigndance is pretty terrible tho. And Dalek Beach Party.... whuhh...

― Kim, Sunday, 25 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I think 'Lubricated Goat' wins it.

Although 'Scraping Foetus off the Wheel' was always a favorite.

― Dave225, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Umm, I love them completely, but how can they write such wonderful lyrics & still have decided to call themselves the Pet Shop Boys?
Don't most jam bands have atrocious names?
Cutesy riot grrl band names get on my nerves, for the most part. Emily's Sassy Lime.
Superchunk is a terrible name.
the Murder City Devils. sounds like hockey night to me.
Tortoise being named what they are, I ought to have known what I was getting into.

― daria gray, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Two words: Vaginal Croutons

― cybele, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Blendband
The Church (love the band, hate the name)

― Mr Noodles, Monday, 26 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

In the internet age the worst possible name is definitely "The The". Impossible to find them on the web with Google (which ignores the article "the" in the query) or to find them on Amazon (same reason). Matt Johnson should seriously think of a new name. "TheThe" would be ok with me.

― alex in mainhattan, Tuesday, 27 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

As a New Yorker of semitic extraction, I could never quite get my head around the idea that there was a rapper called "The Lox.

― Marcel Post, Thursday, 29 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

he shoulda been called the finelox!

― Kim, Thursday, 29 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"people I knew in high school and college who, among other things, believed that Pythonesque absurdity could be had merely by putting together incongruous adjectives and nouns."

An Emotional Fish. Nggh.

― OleM, Saturday, 8 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Simply Saucer=fruitiest name ever. Thimply Thauther, dahling.

― Arthur, Saturday, 8 December 2001 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

two months pass...

There are a couple of incredibly stupid band names I've came across...

- Scary German Guy - Anal Blast - The Meatshits - Old Lady Drivers - Asshole Parade

― Bryant G., Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Try this on for size:
The Canonical List of Weird Band Names

― Lord Custos, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh, waitaminute. Try this one. It's more up to date.
The Even More Canonical List of Weird Band Names
Go nuts.

― Lord Custos, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Coldplay. What the fuck is it meant to mean anyway?

― electric sound of jim, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

No Time for Talking was Campbell Kneale's [Birchville Cat Motel etc] band when he was a teenager in my hometown, Nelson.

― elizabeth anne marjorie, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Wet Wet Wet
Big Head Todd and the Monsters
Throbbing Gristle
Mike and the Mechanics

New Zealand bands: Pumpkinhead
The Dribbling Darts of Love
Betchadupa
Crowded House
Fuck Off Cuntface
Straitjacket Fits
Semi Lemon Kola
S.P.U.D. [society for the protection of unborn dogs]
Cassandra's Ears
Proud Scum (hmmm...actually I'm not sure about this one...maybe i'm just used to hearing it, or i'm silly/stupid enough to maybe like it)
Love's Ugly Children
i heartily second An Emotional Fish for worst, but i defend Def Leppard!

― elizabeth anne marjorie, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

ah the Dribbling Darts of Love. Their hideous moniker prevented a significantly younger me from going anywhere near their record, despite the fact it was actually quite good

― electric sound of jim, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

See Elizabeth i told you there would someone else in the world who liked the Dribbles' first EP.

― hamish, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

HOOBASTANK.

― kevin enas, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Proud Scum is a fucken choice band name! yr right about all those others tho

― duane, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Friends of Dean Martinez - So, they had to change it from Friends of Dean Martin. Why not scrap the whole briliiant concept? Pan sonic they're not.

Songs: Ohia - This manages to be bad is so many ways. "Songs" - oh really, you do those? The colon, you just know has some tedious anecdote to explain it. Ohia, too. (He's from Ohio, you see.)

That's what bugs me about so many of these wacky band names - the yawnsome stories you suspect are behind them. They're like lapel buttons saying, "Ask me about my band name!"

― Curt, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

men without hats
toiling midgets
gaye bikers on acid
severed heads
weezer
xtc
bow wow wow
truebliss
blind melon

― elizabeth anne marjorie, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Dalek I Love You. Belching Penguins. Video Free Europe.

There may be worse examples, but my brain is prolly mercifully hiding them from me.

― Christine "Green Leafy Dragon" Indigo, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Severed Heads is a great name! Even before I heard them I somehow knew exactly what they sounded like. Although maybe that was more because of the LP sleeve..

― electric sound of jim, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I can't decide if Renaldo and the Loaf should be under best or worst names. But I always imagine some fancypants Spanish dandy next to a steaming pile of poo. Maybe that was their intention.

― Arthur, Monday, 4 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

two weeks pass...

The Beatles (doh! I guess it’s kind of easy to overlook among all the hyperbole and adulation, just what a thoroughly beguiling and quite frankly absurd/shit name it actually is. Imagine having a band called The Cockroaches turning up today and being proclaimed the greatest thing since sliced bread and saviours of popular culture as we know it. You just simply wouldn’t be able to take them seriously. Fancy naming themselves after such festering, squalid, useless f**ing vermin. Even if they are from Liverpool....)

Anyhow, since when did the name get in the way of anything. Taking a step back and forgetting what you know about them, here’s another illustrious roll-call of acclaimed bands/personal faves, who maybe thankfully spent more time on the tunes, than on the name....

The Who Pixies Pink Floyd Smashing Pumpkins The Police Sex Pistols Pet Shop Boys Echo and the Bunnymen Motley Crue Queen Husker Du The Beach Boys The The Nirvana Fleetwood Mac The La’s The Byrds Ned’s Atomic Dustbin Oasis Gorky's Zygotic Mynci Bryan Adams

(Alright, so there’s nothing wrong with LIVERPOOL and what a great name it is for a city, isn't it)

― Robbie Fowler, Sunday, 24 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

There was a band called the Cockroaches. They were huge in Australia for a while. They are now called The Wiggles and they are the largest grossing act that makes children's music.

― electric sound of jim, Sunday, 24 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

apparently there's a band playing around Camden these days called ANAL BEARD.

if names are an accurate reflection of a band's talent then Anal Beard are clearly men too consumed by genius to be able to use it in any kind of constructive way.

― Wyndham Earl, Monday, 25 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Did I imagine this or was there a bandin the early 90's called Fflaps??

― Kris England, Monday, 25 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I can't believe I hadn't already posted 'Chilliwack'

― Dave225, Monday, 25 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The Easy Cure.

― Flowersdie, Wednesday, 27 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Psycho Ph*nkfish. I don't want them googling themselves but I think you can guess what the asterisk is hiding, yeah?

Problem #1: Psycho? Ah yes, because you are SO FUCKING CRAZY, right? Kooky, quirky, zany fuckwits. Problem #2: Funk. Yes, indeedy, funk. I don't really need to say anything else, do I? Problem #3: Fish? Ah yes, because it's not the most used pseudo- surreal cack-handed way of expressing once more that you are FUCKING CRAZY is it? You need to be fucking institutionalised, do you? You fucking loop-di-looped CUNTS?

*ahem* Excuse me.

― emil.y, Wednesday, 27 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I like the fact that there is a band called Anal Beard and a band called the Anal Beard BARBERS?!?!?! Wow.

This Canonical List of WEIRD Band Names is a riot. Actually all these names are really funny. Terrible and funny.

― Alex in SF, Wednesday, 27 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

three weeks pass...

They have this conversation in '24 Hour Party People' and Tony Wilson says he once knew some bloke who wanted to start a band called Barabas so that all the crowd would be shouting 'Barabas!'.

A swift cdnow search has revealed that there is indeed a band called Barabas and they perform such songs as 'Pulleys Against The Breeze' and 'Come And See My Stamen'. Barabas!

― N., Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Psychofunkepus!

― Sean Carruthers, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"I Am The World Trade Center". Up through 9/10/01 it was really just lame. Now it's horrific.

― Nate Patrin, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

That would be why they changed it, perhaps?

― electric sound of jim, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Yes. To "I Am". Way to go, guys.

― Nate Patrin, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah, but supposedly they changed it back again. Erps.

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Slutarded!

(not really, that's a fantastic name)

― Kim, Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Puppy Piss,and N'SYNC !

― James H., Monday, 22 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

two months pass...

Neo Cyber Christ

― tits arthur, Tuesday, 25 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

THAT PETROL EMOTION. Never has the mediocrity and pointlessness of a band name felt so much like a swift kick to the groin!

― Clarke B., Tuesday, 25 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Danny Wilson. Because none of them were actually called Danny Wilson. A-ha-ha-ha.

In modern parlance, it's difficult to see past The Electric Soft Parade.

― Mr Swygart, Tuesday, 25 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

You can close this thread now. Holland's number one nu-metal band is called Dreadlock Pussy. I am not making this up.

― JoB, Tuesday, 25 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

OK why does it matter if they have a bad name? I think that Rainbow butt monkeys, and Ween are cool names cause they're funny! And besides they're probably inside jokes or they just wanted a funny name.

I have alot of friends that play in bands and they all have funny names; to name a few: 69cent burito, 3 chord special, The Buckleys, Death by defection, and 749 damage. Now see these names would be considered crappy by the stupid anoying people that dont understand but to my friends and I they are funny as hell. So what I'm trying to say dont judge the bands name cause they all mean something to someone.

― JAY ROY OLSEN, Tuesday, 25 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

four weeks pass...

Curiosity Killed The Cat

It's one short step away from naming your band 'A Stitch In Time Saves Nine' or 'Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining'.

― Ray Manston, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

No one has mentioned Sheep On Drugs.

Also Bum Cello; Chicks On Speed; Sub Sub; Jam and Spoon; Tok Tok; Fridge; Tortiose.

― Anna, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Sheep On Drugs is a great name! Sixpence None The Richer is not, though.

― Dan Perry, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

'Tortiose' - they sound a bit more grandiose than Tortoise ? ;)

― Ray M, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Sissy Prozac

― Indieholic Anonymous, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'll second Spandau Ballet.

Also:

Humble Pie Dying Fetus Gorguts Bread Galactic Cowboys Slaughter Mephiskapheles Christafari Ugly Kid Joe Trik Turner

― Brad Haywood, Wednesday, 24 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Worst name from the grind-metal regime: "Cannibal Corpse"

Worst disc title ever : "Necroticism - Descanting the Insalubrious"

WTF????

― Dev, Friday, 26 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

ten months pass...

Incredible Edible Ed

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Thursday, 29 May 2003 20:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Jimmy Eat World

Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her

The Beatles (of course, and I know this is a tired one)

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Friday, 30 May 2003 00:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Night Ranger, Supertramp

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 30 May 2003 00:20 (twenty-two years ago)

I can't decide if Renaldo and the Loaf should be under best or worst names. But I always imagine some fancypants Spanish dandy next to a steaming pile of poo. Maybe that was their intention.

No, it was the nicknames of the two band members.

Some more horrifying names: Ozzfish Experience, A.P.P.L.E. (which stood for something totally pretentious that's completely vanished from my mind--they were a political band), The Spam Grenades.

― Christine 'Green Leafy Dragon' Indigo (cindigo), Friday, 30 May 2003 01:28 (twenty-two years ago)

any band you like, taking their name out of familiar context, is usually dumb. Motorhead, Superchunk, Led Zepplin, Hawkwind, Mobb Deep, etc. Think about your reaction to someone on ILM telling you they were thinking of starting a band called Arches of Loaf or the Buzzcocks.

Cool names immediately, then and now: NON, Black Sabbath, Killing Joke, The Fall

― roger adultery (roger adultery), Friday, 30 May 2003 01:33 (twenty-two years ago)

four months pass...

Insane Clown Posse
Wee Bee Foolish
Winger
Yaz
String Cheese Incident
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
Air Supply

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 04:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes, Winger, haha! You might as well call your band Quarterback or Hooker. Hang on, that's a great name!

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 04:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Grandfunk Railroad
Manheim Steamroller

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 04:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Future Sound of Melbourne

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 04:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Rage Against the Machine

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 04:34 (twenty-one years ago)

george

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 04:35 (twenty-one years ago)

N.E.R.D.

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 04:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Love Spit Love

― turkey (turkey), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 04:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Love Spit Love was correctly descibed in a music magazine as a 'godawful' name.

Robbie wrote:

"Imagine having a band called The Cockroaches turning up today and being proclaimed the greatest thing since sliced bread"

You could've experienced this, Robbie, had you been in Sydney i9n about 1985. They later became The Wiggles, who are indeed the greatest thing since sliced bread if you're three years old.

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 04:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Bite The Pillow

― the surface noise (electricsound), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 04:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Plaid, if only for the number of people who don't know how to pronounce it.

― Leee (Leee), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 05:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Tangerine Dream

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 05:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Dokken.

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 05:17 (twenty-one years ago)

excellent, colin

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 05:22 (twenty-one years ago)

I never understood why anyone would call their band Abysmal, but yes, they exist.

― Siegbran (eofor), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 05:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Pinback
Lucy's Fur Coat
Green Apple Quickstep
Ugly Kid Joe
Suddenly, Tammy!
Live
Carissa's Weird
Bush

There were tons more of those crap 90's altrock names, but I have blocked most of them out.

― Blood and sparkles (bloodandsparkles), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 06:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Bananarama

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 07:13 (twenty-one years ago)

µ-Ziq

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 07:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Death Faeces (seen on one of those 'review your demo' pages in a music mag)
Bikini ('new wave' group based in Hungary, around 1990?
The Ordinary Boys (NME choice from 2 weeks ago. Less potential than the Roaring boys from a few years ago)

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 08:10 (twenty-one years ago)

loose fur
the specimens

― the surface noise (electricsound), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 09:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Hmmmm, there have been loads of bands with really *horrible* names:

Flash & the Pan
Mental As Anything
Def Leppard
REO Speedwagon
Wang Chung
Mott the Hoople

And loads more with just plain old *stoopid* ones:

Liberty X
Jimmy the Hoover
Oingo Boingo
Splodgenessabounds
Mr Mister
Sniff'n'the Tears

But let's face it, NO-ONE is EVER really going to beat these fellers:

http://www.pogopunx.de/lp/big_balls-v.gif

BIG BALLS AND THE GREAT WHITE IDIOT (God bless 'em!)

― NickB (NickB), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 09:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Captain Crunch & Let's Do Lunch.

Got a demo tape by them back in the early '90s, though I can't remember a thing about it.

― mike a (mike a), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 09:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Turbonegro
XPQ-21
Butthole Surfers

Lots and lots of metal bands with "gloomy" pseudo-Latin or otherwise "poetic" names (Altaria, Apocalyptica, Solitude Aeternus, On Thorns I Lay, Stratovarius, Dark Tranquility etc.).

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 09:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Lasting Legacy
Celebratory Rape
Sniffschitz
Humpy Boogle
The Secrets of Colorchange

― Ben K., Tuesday, 14 October 2003 11:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Grannysample
Shoebert
Sweetbelly Freakdown
Cloud Around the Biffy
Toad the Wet Sprocket

― Ben K., Tuesday, 14 October 2003 11:59 (twenty-one years ago)

I think you'll find Turbonegro is an unquestionably brilliant name actually, my Finnish friend.

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 12:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Really? I never understood what the word "negro" has to do with pasty-faced, pseudo-gay Norwegian rockers. Worst of all, the Turbonegro fan clubs around the world call themselves "Turbo Jugend", and they wear "Turbo Jugend" badges on their shoulders. Before I've heard of the band, I saw a guy with such a badge, and thought he was some sort of Neo-Nazi.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 15:18 (twenty-one years ago)

delicious mind garden

― donut bitch (donut), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 15:53 (twenty-one years ago)

I was going to mention Crabby Appleton but have decided I love it - Tucky Buzzard however still sucks

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 16:19 (twenty-one years ago)

My Friend the Chocolate Cake

― Jeremy (Jeremy), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 16:37 (twenty-one years ago)

You could do a whole sub-thread comprised of only Maryland bands. Dying Fetus! Audio Rapists! Meatjack! Buttsteak! Cex! Fugazi Osborne! Objection to Oppression! The Pee Tanks! Liars Academy (no apostrophe)! Good Charlotte! Laughing Colors! Jimmie's Chicken Shack! Kix! Let the Horse Guide You!

― Tom Breihan (Tom Breihan), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 17:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Which makes me think of Godspeed You Black Emperor!

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 17:32 (twenty-one years ago)

GYBE isn't bad its just obnoxious.

But Im going to see thee worst named band tonight:

BEEFTERMINAL

Who are pretty damm good.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 17:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Metallica

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 18:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Fun Lovin' Criminals
G-love and Special Sauce

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 18:46 (twenty-one years ago)

I Mother Earth

― Elliot (Elliot), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 19:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Da Band is somehow even worse than The Band.

― Tom Breihan (Tom Breihan), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 19:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Our Lady Peace
Copyright/Circle C/©

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 19:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Worst of all, the Turbonegro fan clubs around the world call themselves "Turbo Jugend", and they wear "Turbo Jugend" badges on their shoulders

Um, I have a Turbojugend NYC pin that I wear on my jacket. Don't go knockin the darkness!! [Throws devil sign in air, flicks tongue, grabs own ass.]

― Jeanne Fury (Jeanne Fury), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 19:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Venom
Megadeth
Anthrax

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 20:27 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah megadeth. horrible.

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 14 October 2003 20:35 (twenty-one years ago)

"Um, I have a Turbojugend NYC pin that I wear on my jacket. Don't go knockin the darkness!! [Throws devil sign in air, flicks tongue, grabs own ass.]"

Innit! It's a perfectly normal German word. Most of these clubs seem to have started in Germany anyway

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 08:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Flying Burrito Brothers

― Mike Ouderkirk (Mike Ouderkirk), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 09:51 (twenty-one years ago)

The Eagles is a pretty bad name. It's like, why?

― Mike Ouderkirk (Mike Ouderkirk), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 09:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Buttmoan, hands down.

― riley n., Wednesday, 15 October 2003 11:56 (twenty-one years ago)

The Shirts. It's pants.

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Wednesday, 15 October 2003 23:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Doobie Brothers

― oops (Oops), Thursday, 16 October 2003 03:19 (twenty-one years ago)

"Um, I have a Turbojugend NYC pin that I wear on my jacket. Don't go knockin the darkness!! [Throws devil sign in air, flicks tongue, grabs own ass.]"

Innit! It's a perfectly normal German word. Most of these clubs seem to have started in Germany anyway

Now don't you even try to claim that "Turbojugend" doesn't bring to your mind any connotations towards a certain Fascist regime and it's youth organization. "Jugend" is a perfectly normal German word, yes, but naming a fan organization "xxxx-Jugend" and making badges which bear that name is hardly innocent.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Thursday, 16 October 2003 08:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Kitchens of Distinction... which makes me think of Interpol too !
Well, any band name can be qualified as bad by someone, I'm afraid.

― Olivier (anagrama), Thursday, 16 October 2003 09:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Also "Northern Uproar" did suggest boring meat 'n' 2 veg britrock of the most ZZZzzz-inducing sort. Fortunately.

Actually, at the time, I thought the name sounded more like a really whizz-bang happy hardcore bunch of ravey-Daveys from Cumbernauld!!!!!!

As you can guess, I was most disappointed when I finally heard their tunes!

BTW In terms of "interesting" band names, I don't think you can get better at the moment than The Excrementory Grindfuckers!!!!!

― Old Fart!!! (oldfart_sd), Thursday, 16 October 2003 09:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Ween should be a horrible band name but because it's a verb they win.

I must disagree with something Dastoor said like 2 years ago: Soul Coughing is a wonderful band name.

A band I was in in high school once shared a bill with a band called Thunderchicken which was like the Screaming Trees but with Gavin Rossdale in place of Mark Lanegin.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 16 October 2003 13:49 (twenty-one years ago)

When People Were Shorter and Lived Near Water

― Russ, Friday, 17 October 2003 20:48 (twenty-one years ago)

T-Rex

― , Friday, 17 October 2003 20:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Phish

― oops (Oops), Saturday, 18 October 2003 07:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Country Joe and the Fish.

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Saturday, 18 October 2003 07:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Electric Light Orchestra
Bachman Turner Overdrive

― oops (Oops), Saturday, 18 October 2003 07:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Cash Money Millionaires

― oops (Oops), Saturday, 18 October 2003 07:59 (twenty-one years ago)

WC and the Maad Circle
Rappin' 4-Tay
Big Daddy Rah Rah

― oops (Oops), Saturday, 18 October 2003 08:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Chixdiggit

― colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Saturday, 18 October 2003 08:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Insects That Jive Upon Crippled Grass Blades

― Damian (Damian), Saturday, 18 October 2003 09:15 (twenty-one years ago)

four months pass...

Krokus!!

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 3 March 2004 21:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Enuff Z Nuff

― oops (Oops), Wednesday, 3 March 2004 21:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Some of these names, however, are so bad they're funny, which takes them out of the running.

For a name that breaks your heart before you've heard a note, it's got to be An Emotional Fish (mentioned above).

With the possible exception of Dishwalla.

― Rick Massimo (Rick Massimo), Wednesday, 3 March 2004 21:47 (twenty-one years ago)

You've all obviously forgotten the Dogs In Space soundtrack which featured the band THRUSH AND THE CUNTS.

There is also the CAPTAIN MATCHBOX WHOOPPEE BAND (hit single My Canary Has Circles Under His Eyes).

Then there's Blodwyn Pig, Henry Cow, M, Terry Dactyl & The Dinosaurs (Jona Lewie was Lead singer), Kajagoogoo, Spandau Ballet, Pseudo Echo,
and lets not forget both the Guess Who and Klaatu who both named themselves hoping that everyone would believe they were the BEATLES in disguise-SHEESH!

― melthoid serendipity, Thursday, 4 March 2004 18:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Bambi Molesters

love the band though...

― eleki-san (eleki-san), Thursday, 4 March 2004 18:25 (twenty-one years ago)

my gf recently met someone from a band called Stutterfly, which is the worst possible variation i've heard on the already awful "Flickerstick/Switchfoot/Fingertight" formula

(actually Fingertight may be even worse)

― morris pavilion (samjeff), Thursday, 4 March 2004 19:20 (twenty-one years ago)

one month passes...

Economics class is really boring, so a friend of mine slipped me a note that said he wanted to start a death-metal band and make it have THE hands down worst possible name. So I wrote some down and gave it back...he laughed his nuts off. It has now gone from a simple game to a time-killing addiction. Here are some goodies we collaborated on:

Random Mating
Spiteful Sea Nymphs
Mass Obliteration
Vetoed Miracle
Lung Burger
Spirits of Fish and their Desire to be Holy
Muppet Love
Sodomized Christmas Tree (don't ask)
Space Zombie Jesus
Unholy Matrimony
The Fountain Pens
Thoughtless Giant

There are literally hundreds more...too many to type. We get better at it everyday. With enough practice, any one can come up with hilarious names

― private eyeland, Tuesday, 6 April 2004 03:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Pearl Jam
Dilated Peoples
Blink 182
Buffalo Tom
OOIOO
Ten Million Penniless People from Bulgaria
The Darkness
Chumbawamba
Death Cab for Cutie

― Lewis J. Bateman (Lewis Bateman), Tuesday, 6 April 2004 07:21 (twenty-one years ago)

one month passes...

People With Chairs Up Their Noses

Very 80's-kooky skinny tie name that one - then again, I never forgot it.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 22:12 (twenty-one years ago)

It's a Beautiful Day
Flickerswitch
Korn
Was (Not Was)

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 23:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Timex Social Club

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 00:16 (twenty-one years ago)

five months pass...

Inspect Her Gadget is playing tonight at the Whisky-a-Go-Go, folks.

― Taxi Dancing in the Soft Prison (Ben Boyer), Friday, 15 October 2004 00:02 (twenty years ago)

Actually - I drive by the Whisky every morning on my way to work, and every day there's a new gem up there. Maybe I will make a regular point of noting the night's bill.

― Taxi Dancing in the Soft Prison (Ben Boyer), Friday, 15 October 2004 00:03 (twenty years ago)

Y Kant Tori Read

― 6335, Friday, 15 October 2004 07:08 (twenty years ago)

Looking down the list of stuff comin up at the whisky has revealed the following gems-

Mourning After (17th oct)
Soulsik (29th oct)

― hmmm (hmmm), Friday, 15 October 2004 14:54 (twenty years ago)

weird how this thread seems to get revived almost annually. i can't believe i haven't seen the following band names mentioned yet:
hootie and the blowfish
letters to cleo
grandaddy (is it the intellectual-hippies-beard thing?)
sparklehorse (i'm always kinda of embarrassed to recommend this
excellent artist because of his totally fey name)
+/- (wtf!)
the stratford 4
east river pipe (see sparklehorse above)
and you will know us by...[blah blah} (if you're going to have a
torturously long title, at
least have a sense of humor
about it)
the dandy warhols
spoon
us maple

― j.m. lockery (j.m. lockery), Friday, 15 October 2004 21:34 (twenty years ago)

two months pass...

I must agree that there are some pretty horrible band names out there, but why put effort into hating their name if they make good music? Ditto if they make bad music, just ignore them! At least they're trying to be creative, instead of just making fun of everyone else...

― crumb, Thursday, 6 January 2005 07:54 (twenty years ago)

'The Music' is the worst

― Seuss, Thursday, 6 January 2005 07:59 (twenty years ago)

You could do a whole sub-thread comprised of only Maryland bands.. Fugazi Osborne

!!! Here we go, Maryland, here we go..! Hooray.

Deep Lust
Life Without Buildings
Archers of Loaf

― daria g (daria g), Thursday, 6 January 2005 09:08 (twenty years ago)

"Morex Optimo" is pretty frickin bad.

― Nancy Boy (Nancy Boy), Thursday, 6 January 2005 11:16 (twenty years ago)

Worst band name of all time: Dangerous Toys.

I mean, come on, Dangerous fucking Toys? How can you not laugh at yourselves for that?

― cdwill, Thursday, 6 January 2005 15:51 (twenty years ago)

Here's another one: Elf Power.

― cdwill, Thursday, 6 January 2005 15:57 (twenty years ago)

Rocktopus

― Nicholas, Thursday, 6 January 2005 16:09 (twenty years ago)

I hope no-one has posted this yet, but...

DOOFGOBLIN

― Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Thursday, 6 January 2005 16:57 (twenty years ago)

melbourne -90's -from juke newspaper
exploding white mice

― paul wilson, Thursday, 6 January 2005 17:25 (twenty years ago)

one month passes...

In 1991, I saw a cassette tape in a Mount Pleasant, Michigan record store by a band named "Barney Trubble and Cunt Stubble". I really regret not buying it.

― joygoat (joygoat), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 04:47 (twenty years ago)

Broken Social Scene

― i am nervous (cochere), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 05:00 (twenty years ago)

Franz Ferdinand. It could be a cool name if it had a reason, but it doesn't seem to, other than "appropriation of historical names seems to be cool now." The name of a figure whose main claim to fame is having been assassinated doesn't really seem to work on a literal or ironic level for a dance-punk band.

― Hurting (Hurting), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 05:04 (twenty years ago)

Purple Vulture Shit gets my vote. Actually Tex Perkins gets a 2-play, since he also coined Tex Deadly And The Dum Dums. Equally as bad. Amusing. But bad.

xpost: I agree on Franz Ferdinand. The name is terribly distracting.

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 05:06 (twenty years ago)

Argh, I used the word "seem"/"seems" three times in that post. I've been trying to break that habit.

― Hurting (Hurting), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 05:08 (twenty years ago)

Someone already posted The Doobie Brothers, which I think might be the single worst name ever.

Also, any band name with the construction -ING VERB + NOUN. Taking Back Sunday, for example.

Finally, the worst local band name I ever heard was "Give Me Danger"

― Hurting (Hurting), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 05:10 (twenty years ago)

I remember a newspaper article around 1994 which said Pavement was the worst name since the Doobie Brothers.

― Magic City (ano ano), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 05:45 (twenty years ago)

But I think part of the reason The Doobie Brothers is worse is that when I hear it I have to think about The Doobie Brothers.

― Hurting (Hurting), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 05:58 (twenty years ago)

you say party! we say die!
dogs die in hot cars
blue skies at war

― derrick (derrick), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 06:02 (twenty years ago)

Finally, the worst local band name I ever heard was "Give Me Danger"

-- Hurting

That is an exceptionally bad name.

― thee music mole, Tuesday, 22 February 2005 06:20 (twenty years ago)

Steaming Wolf Penis

― jergins (jergins), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 06:23 (twenty years ago)

"Finally, the worst local band name I ever heard was "Give Me Danger"

-- Hurting

That is an exceptionally bad name."

They were a punk band, but my friends and I thought it sounded like a musical and I think we actually invented a hypothetical one, based on the title, about a mama's boy who decides he's had enough of his small town and wants to see the world: "Give me danger! Give me excitement!" etc.

― Hurting (Hurting), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 06:28 (twenty years ago)

Give me danger!
Give me danger!
Give me a world of excitement and madness and fun and delight!!

Give me danger!
Give me danger!
Let me roam through the streets of the cities that bathe me in light!!

I've got some rough choreography ideas at this point.

― thee music mole, Tuesday, 22 February 2005 06:34 (twenty years ago)

Allegiance
The Sound
As I Lay Dying
Rage Against the Machine
59 Times the Pain (I like the Dü and all--but what a shitty, shitty thing to name your band)
Atombombpocketknife
The Reindeer Section
the Thrills/Chills/Kills/blah blah interchangeable

100% agreed about Songs: Ohia.

― babyalive (babyalive), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 07:08 (twenty years ago)

The Bravery

― Jena (JenaP), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 17:29 (twenty years ago)

Men Without Hats: I always thought this was at least a funny name. It's like , they're the men *without* hats, as though having a hat was the natural state of man.

― Hurting (Hurting), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 17:42 (twenty years ago)

"The name of a figure whose main claim to fame is having been assassinated doesn't really seem to work on a literal or ironic level for a dance-punk band."

The assasination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand is seen as the first event that triggered the First World War. So in historical context he is pretty important. Maybe by calling themselves Franz Ferdinand theyre suggesting they will make such an impact on modern history. In which case i'm predicting they fail.

― dmun, Tuesday, 22 February 2005 18:05 (twenty years ago)

Wheatus ranks up there with Hoobastank as the worst band name ever.

I disagree with the person who nominated Spoon though. Isn't it a reference to Can? Plus, "spoon" is a cool-sounding word if you say it a few times. And the name matches the music. The empty space created by a spoon is as important to its function as the material it's made from.

Wow, that sounds kinda pretentious, but I still think I have a point.

― Mila, Tuesday, 22 February 2005 18:30 (twenty years ago)

Stone Temple Pilots, Alice in Chains, etc.
Evanescence because no one can spell the damn thing
Switchblade Symphony
Boyzone
Modest Mouse, because I can't tell if it's an intentional pun or just a twee phrase. What's next, Nicolai Rimski Corpse?

― jocelyn (Jocelyn), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 18:39 (twenty years ago)

Shooglenifty - an uptempo folk outfit.

these people actually exist.

― john clarkson, Tuesday, 22 February 2005 20:14 (twenty years ago)

I vote Hoobastank. It's honestly surreal and disturbing to think someone thought that name up and actually deemed it good enough to put on albums, flyers, posters, etc. It's bafflingly bad.

A while ago one of my friends had me download songs by this band called Septic Flesh. I can't remember what any of the songs were like but i do remember laughing for half an hour straight at the name.

― Adam Bruneau (oliver8bit), Tuesday, 22 February 2005 22:00 (twenty years ago)

The Killers.

it would have been funny 30 years ago, but now... just childish.

― zeus, Tuesday, 22 February 2005 22:06 (twenty years ago)

well, someone who's actually from florida (where hoobastank is from as well), told me once that they use to be called 'whose butt stinks', and were virtually coerced to change it later. now that is certainly worse than hoobastank.

― Jena (JenaP), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 06:44 (twenty years ago)

any band on the cover of alternative press!

― latebloomer: HE WHOM DUELS THE DRAFGON IN ENDLESS DANCE (latebloomer), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 08:30 (twenty years ago)

-- dmun

Right. But he's important only passively. There's nothing cool or interesting or even funny about Franz Ferdinand. He was a hapless, unwitting catalyst of history, so therefore a lame namesake.

― Hurting (Hurting), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 15:11 (twenty years ago)

I'd also like to vote for bands with names that are so mundane that I can't fucking find them on the internet! You know, if I search "Blonde Redhead" at least I know I'm going to find Blonde Redhead. But recently a guy was telling me to check out a band called "Casino". I can't check them out! I tried!

― Hurting (Hurting), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 15:13 (twenty years ago)

Hurting: A band called "The Casino" played here recently... I wonder if they're the same folks.

― i am nervous (cochere), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 18:13 (twenty years ago)

I just saw a poster for a band called "Sin Tax" and it made me itchy.

― jocelyn (Jocelyn), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 21:00 (twenty years ago)

Nervous, was it a British band?

― Hurting (Hurting), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 21:11 (twenty years ago)

Diesel Park West.
Bowling For Soup.
North and South.
Orange Orange.

And I've just remembered The Stereophonics used to perform under the name TLC. What did it stand for?
Tragic Love Company. Seriously.

http://www.pogopunx.de/lp/big_balls-v.gif
Erm, isn't that Ron and Russell from Sparks? It looks uncannily like them.

― Philip Alderman (Phil A), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 21:30 (twenty years ago)

Los Lonely Boys is easily the worst band name ever.

― Jeff Reguilon (Talent Explosion), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 22:13 (twenty years ago)

Hurting: No... some guys from Vermont. So I guess there's more than one Casino out there.

― i am nervous (cochere), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 22:21 (twenty years ago)

Mind Science of the Mind!

― Douglas (Douglas), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 22:41 (twenty years ago)

i've always thought the worst band names were the ones that followed some empty, bland aesthetic for the sake of it -- like, look at this kind-of-hip sounding name that has nothing to do with the music and offers a mental image of absolutely nothing. also, when you get random first names in band names = TOTAL DUD. i don't get all the hate for grind metal names and such -- i always thought these were pretty great.

Matchbox 20
Blink 182
Semisonic
Guster
Dave Matthews Band
Linkin Park
Marcy's Playground
Sum 41

― fauxhemian (fauxhemian), Wednesday, 23 February 2005 23:12 (twenty years ago)

ten months pass...

Dr Feelgood

― adamrl (nordicskilla), Thursday, 12 January 2006 16:49 (nineteen years ago)

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Test Icicles
Artic Monkeys

― Admiral_Stevens, Thursday, 12 January 2006 17:01 (nineteen years ago)

three months pass...

Inventory: 10 Successful Music Artists With Terrible Names

― Asthmatic Cajun (Asthmatic Cajun), Wednesday, 3 May 2006 15:52 (nineteen years ago)

three months pass...

all of today's "metal"/metalcore(?) bands. Bullet for my Valentine? Oh please.

― Aditya (dan138zig), Sunday, 13 August 2006 11:28 (nineteen years ago)

On that canonical list posted above, I can't get any further than 'Aggresive Crotch Display' before cracking up.

― Louis Jagger (Haberdager), Sunday, 13 August 2006 11:43 (nineteen years ago)

one year passes...

What could be worse than Chuck D's band Confrontation Camp? Especially considering that Griff is/was a member.

― thirdalternative, Wednesday, 30 April 2008 15:28 (seventeen years ago)

Came across this one last night: Observers Observing Observables.

― Bimble, Wednesday, 30 April 2008 16:54 (seventeen years ago)

I Mother Earth

― Pillbox, Wednesday, 30 April 2008 17:09 (seventeen years ago)

^^^infintesimally better than the comparable Our Lady Peace

― Myonga Vön Bontee, Wednesday, 30 April 2008 17:28 (seventeen years ago)

There's a band whose record I like who have for some reason (something to do with The Royal Tenenbaums) call themselves "Margot & the Nuclear So-and-Sos."

― ellaguru, Wednesday, 30 April 2008 17:32 (seventeen years ago)

Around town here there is a coffee shop boy/girl folk duo called....*drum roll*....

"PATCHOULI"

!!!!

seriously!?!?!

― RabiesAngentleman, Wednesday, 30 April 2008 17:38 (seventeen years ago)

Vampire Weekend

Don't know if that's some kind of reference, don't care. That name just completely eats shit.

― RabiesAngentleman, Wednesday, 30 April 2008 17:42 (seventeen years ago)

Fuck buttons

― kornrulez6969, Wednesday, 30 April 2008 18:39 (seventeen years ago)

THEIVERY CORPORATION
MORCHEEBA
hoobastank

― Catsupppppppppppppp dude 茄蕃, Wednesday, 30 April 2008 18:56 (seventeen years ago)

Now imagine the festival name all three would headline.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 30 April 2008 18:57 (seventeen years ago)

Bands Who(m) I Have Never Heard Note One Of, But The Name Tells Me All I Need To Know
who has the worst name out of all the 'The ....' bands?

― James Redd and the Blecchs, Wednesday, 30 April 2008 18:59 (seventeen years ago)

My Chemical Romance

― stephen, Wednesday, 30 April 2008 19:44 (seventeen years ago)

Mid-90's industrial rock triple-feature: Dink, Machines of Loving Grace, Stabbing Westward

― Pillbox, Wednesday, 30 April 2008 20:31 (seventeen years ago)

Fuck buttons

Seconded (for reasons I set forth on another thread).

― Daniel, Esq., Wednesday, 30 April 2008 20:33 (seventeen years ago)

Does it Offend You, Yeah?

Get the fuck out of my face, annoying band.

― paulhw, Wednesday, 30 April 2008 20:57 (seventeen years ago)

Chumbawumba
Bananarama
Scritti Politti

You get the idea.

― The Deacon, Wednesday, 30 April 2008 21:03 (seventeen years ago)

God Lives Underwater

― Catsupppppppppppppp dude 茄蕃, Wednesday, 30 April 2008 21:11 (seventeen years ago)

Jet

― Catsupppppppppppppp dude 茄蕃, Wednesday, 30 April 2008 21:11 (seventeen years ago)

In the 80s you had this very long band names thing. Surely, it was different and cool in a way, but in retrospect, most of those names suck as actual band names.

For instance, Frankie Goes To Hollywod, Pop Will Eat Itself, We've Got a Fuzzbox and We're Gonna Use It etc.

― Geir Hongro, Thursday, 1 May 2008 02:11 (seventeen years ago)

five months pass...

― Surmounter, Tuesday, 7 October 2008 05:48 (sixteen years ago)

oooooooon

― Surmounter, Tuesday, 7 October 2008 05:48 (sixteen years ago)

the

― Surmounter, Tuesday, 7 October 2008 05:48 (sixteen years ago)

RADIO!!!!!!!!!

― Surmounter, Tuesday, 7 October 2008 05:48 (sixteen years ago)

superchunk
arctic monkeys

― Dr X O'Skeleton, Tuesday, 7 October 2008 13:05 (sixteen years ago)

Vampire Weekend (totally misleading)

Apocalyptica (how original...)

!!! (any name that you can't even pronounce without specific instructions is bound to suck)

Hercules and the Love Affair (what the hell does this even mean? the music is quite nice, but the name mislead me to think it's one of those stupid indie bands)

...And You Will Know Us by the Pretentious and Overlong Name of Our Band

― Tuomas, Tuesday, 7 October 2008 13:15 (sixteen years ago)

Broadfield Marchers

― dog latin, Tuesday, 7 October 2008 14:09 (sixteen years ago)

Any band that auditions for The X-Factor is guaranteed to have a bowel clenchingly bad name. Some choice picks:

2 to Go
Voices With Soul
4 Tune
Addictiv Ladies
4Sure
Same Difference
Bad Lashes

― chap, Tuesday, 7 October 2008 14:17 (sixteen years ago)

I've always thought that Technical Difficulties, Plus Support, and Gig Cancelled are all very bad band names.

― The Real Dirty Vicar, Tuesday, 7 October 2008 21:47 (sixteen years ago)

http://blogmunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/seinfeld.jpg

― Carrie Bradshaw Layfield (The stickman from the hilarious 'xkcd' comics), Tuesday, 7 October 2008 21:48 (sixteen years ago)

Addictiv Ladies

why is this making me lol so hard

― Like sicking a little bit of water into my mouth (HI DERE), Tuesday, 7 October 2008 21:48 (sixteen years ago)

Smell & Quim

― NickB, Tuesday, 7 October 2008 21:54 (sixteen years ago)

A somewhat talented band in the wake of Goldfrapp, Product 01, will probably be condemned to obscurity due to the most forgettable band name ever. It's not even embarassingly misguided.

― derelict, Tuesday, 7 October 2008 21:56 (sixteen years ago)

Pig Destroyer is an awesome name.

― circa1916, Tuesday, 7 October 2008 22:06 (sixteen years ago)

taking in mind "Pig" = "Cop" here.

― circa1916, Tuesday, 7 October 2008 22:07 (sixteen years ago)

Field Music, and the two side-projects of it's members: School of Language and The Week That Was.

― zeus, Wednesday, 8 October 2008 21:19 (sixteen years ago)

seven months pass...

Came across two crackers recently

Hockey

The Answering Machine

There used to be site on the dusty old internet with what seemed like thousands of names in a plain text document. Of course I never bookmarked it or saved it, and google searches for bad band names just fill up with dull blog entries. Don't suppose anyone...?

― whatever, Wednesday, 27 May 2009 15:38 (sixteen years ago)

Hockey, the band. Great.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 27 May 2009 16:36 (sixteen years ago)

Yeah the band had to sit and agree that too. Lord knows what the other ones were on the shortlist. Lacrosse? And don't mention Darts, first album I ever bought...

― whatever, Wednesday, 27 May 2009 17:15 (sixteen years ago)

two weeks pass...

You have GOT to be fucking shitting me:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51mJ1auw6aL._SS500_.jpg

― I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Monday, 15 June 2009 18:21 (sixteen years ago)

THEIVERY CORPORATION
MORCHEEBA
hoobastank
― Catsupppppppppppppp dude 茄蕃
Now imagine the festival name all three would headline.
― Ned Raggett

Terrastock!

...

;-)

― I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Monday, 15 June 2009 18:23 (sixteen years ago)

I've never been sure if this is a good or bad band name:

Archers of Loaf

― henry s, Monday, 15 June 2009 22:04 (sixteen years ago)

better than Pinchers of Loaf

― giving a shit when it isn't your turn to give a shit (sarahel), Monday, 15 June 2009 23:08 (sixteen years ago)

^^^ love it!

― henry s, Tuesday, 16 June 2009 00:38 (sixteen years ago)

man, threads like this just make naming your band at all seem pointless. why bother?

― Vokuhila (latebloomer), Tuesday, 16 June 2009 05:08 (sixteen years ago)

no-named bands are the future!

― Vokuhila (latebloomer), Tuesday, 16 June 2009 05:08 (sixteen years ago)

what if you named your band "why bother?"

― casual racism fridays (bug), Tuesday, 16 June 2009 05:09 (sixteen years ago)

i like the name it hugs back. also they are great.

― comedy cafe at the toxteth hotel (electricsound), Tuesday, 16 June 2009 05:10 (sixteen years ago)

what if you named your band "why bother?"

― casual racism fridays (bug), Tuesday, June 16, 2009 5:09 AM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

cuz it could potentially be misconstrued as a weezer cover band

― Vokuhila (latebloomer), Tuesday, 16 June 2009 05:13 (sixteen years ago)

there seems to be a band with the name "cassettes won't listen" which bombards me with spam mail. as if i would ever listen to a band with such a shitty name. bastards.

― alex in mainhattan, Tuesday, 16 June 2009 05:21 (sixteen years ago)

are you a cassette?

― Mark G, Tuesday, 16 June 2009 09:26 (sixteen years ago)

Has there ever been a worse band name than Killswitch Engage?

― anagram, Wednesday, 24 June 2009 19:15 (sixteen years ago)

Al Qaeda Sound System.

― suggestzybandias (jim), Wednesday, 24 June 2009 19:55 (sixteen years ago)

Well, Vortis might not be the worst, but everything about the band stinks (and it is a bad band name, don't get me wrong). I am sure some of you know exactly why this band reeks, but if you are curious just go check them out. The bio and explanation of the name kinda say it all.

― grandavis, Wednesday, 24 June 2009 20:11 (sixteen years ago)

I just got a Facebook invite for a gig, and the band playing there is called Bloodshit Gutsfuck. I declined.

― Tuomas, Friday, 26 June 2009 11:57 (sixteen years ago)

Has there ever been a worse band name than Killswitch Engage?

Isn't there also a band -- a different band -- called Killswitch click?

― Alex in NYC, Friday, 26 June 2009 12:45 (sixteen years ago)

Dub Narcotic Sound System is pretty bad, though Calvin Johnson would probably tell you it's supposed to suck.

― throwbookatface (skygreenleopard), Friday, 26 June 2009 20:46 (sixteen years ago)

one month passes...

There's this local band who named themselves The Heinrich Maneuver.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtDrJ-hQQxI

― dan138zig (Durrr Durrr Durrrrrr), Friday, 7 August 2009 00:34 (sixteen years ago)

Actually my country is a heaven for bad band names. Other examples:

The Rock
Peterpan
J-Rocks
Mocca

― dan138zig (Durrr Durrr Durrrrrr), Friday, 7 August 2009 00:38 (sixteen years ago)

whoever oops was, was really off the money on this thread. i guess people were too busy thinking of their own to argue.

agree that Hoobastank is probably still the worst name ever.

― Highly trained BBQ chef (rockapads), Friday, 7 August 2009 05:12 (sixteen years ago)

Actually my country is a heaven for bad band names.

You need to provide Myspace links or whatever for these characters.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 7 August 2009 05:23 (sixteen years ago)

The Rock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sqrv6IsBYE

Peterpan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jH5Y1LMwJA http://www.newpeterpanband.com/main.php

J-Rocks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWzpnYc9ib0

Mocca: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkJTr3POP68 (I hate this band. see for yourself.)

― dan138zig (Durrr Durrr Durrrrrr), Friday, 7 August 2009 05:57 (sixteen years ago)

Some screamo/metalcore/whatever bands:

She Has a Fashion Vice
Attack Attack!
I See Stars
I Explode Like
Asking Alexandria
Blood On The Dance Floor
The Devil Wears Prada
Dead by April
nevershoutnever!
I Set My Friends On Fire
August Burns Red
An Ocean Between Us
Memphis May Fire
One Morning Left
We Are The Emergency
2 0' Clock Girlfriend
I, The Skyline...
Watchout! There's Ghosts

COULD YOU FUCKING BELIEVE THAT?!

― dan138zig (Durrr Durrr Durrrrrr), Saturday, 8 August 2009 00:51 (sixteen years ago)

They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

― touch my bum / this is life (daavid), Saturday, 8 August 2009 02:07 (sixteen years ago)

There's a great local band in Portland right now called Mongoloid Village. They rock, but everyone wishes they would change the name.

― Nate Carson, Saturday, 8 August 2009 02:10 (sixteen years ago)

They just need to add "People" to the end.

― EZ Snappin, Saturday, 8 August 2009 02:11 (sixteen years ago)

Access to most of the material on The Devil Wears Prada's website requires a subscription. It's $9.99 for a first tier subscription acscending up through 6 subscription levels that culminate in Big Wiggly Style ($49.99). Here's what you get:

1 Year Interactive Membership
TDWP Member Pack that includes:
Set of TDWP drum sticks
Set of signature TDWP picks
TDWP Member Laminate
Exclusive TDWP Fan Community T-Shirt (Limited Edition)
Copy of With Roots Above and Branches Below LP Record

SKU #TDWP-SUB-0006

DUDE! YOU GET A LAMINATE! I didn't know people fucked with those since Rockabilia ads in the back of Metal Maniacs.

All this from a band that "derives its name from an anti-materialistic mindset as stated by vocalist Mike Hranica, instead of directly refering to the novel with the same title."

― kingkongvsgodzilla, Saturday, 8 August 2009 02:19 (sixteen years ago)

Emo/screamo bands really do excel in this category.

― adamj, Saturday, 8 August 2009 06:09 (sixteen years ago)

pie chart of a dump

― new balls please (whatever), Saturday, 8 August 2009 21:35 (sixteen years ago)

ten months pass...

new worst band name ever: Municipal Waste.

― anagram, Tuesday, 15 June 2010 08:00 (fifteen years ago)

They have already been mentioned upthread.

The first name that popped into my head was Archers of Loaf. Such a criminally poor name for such a great band.

Names of solo artists are rubbish too eg. Andrew Bird, John Vanderslice etc.They are their real names right?

― Fer Jessie the Drunk Dutch Mountain Ark (Mobbed Up Ping Pong Psychos), Tuesday, 15 June 2010 11:33 (fifteen years ago)

Ditchcroaker

― Fer Jessie the Drunk Dutch Mountain Ark (Mobbed Up Ping Pong Psychos), Tuesday, 15 June 2010 11:35 (fifteen years ago)

They have already been mentioned upthread

Municipal Waste? Not according to my Ctrl-F, they haven't. Archers of Loaf, on the other hand, have.

― anagram, Tuesday, 15 June 2010 11:59 (fifteen years ago)

XposT - apologies _ i was referring to my Archers!

Municipal Waste is terrible - the HC band? Here in England that would translate as Council Dump or something.terrible

― Fer Jessie the Drunk Dutch Mountain Ark (Mobbed Up Ping Pong Psychos), Tuesday, 15 June 2010 12:07 (fifteen years ago)

Oh I see, apologies.

I'm English as well and Municipal Waste sounds like a fairly normal British English phrase to me, though.

― anagram, Tuesday, 15 June 2010 12:13 (fifteen years ago)

Ok anagram . You probably right. I need to brush up on my shit.

― Fer Jessie the Drunk Dutch Mountain Ark (Mobbed Up Ping Pong Psychos), Tuesday, 15 June 2010 12:24 (fifteen years ago)

personal & the pizzas

― WARS OF ARMAGEDDON (Karaoke Version) (Sparkle Motion), Tuesday, 15 June 2010 19:58 (fifteen years ago)

I quite like the name Archers of Loaf.

There's a local band called Fanny Burger Face. This is so resolutely terrible that it may border on genius.

(Also, I believe it does refer to the British English meaning of 'fanny' rather than the personal name or the American English version.)

― emil.y, Tuesday, 15 June 2010 21:02 (fifteen years ago)

I kind of like the name Municipal Waste, but find it hard to intonate correctly in everyday speech, especially with a British accent. Mun-I-cipal Waste, MUN-i-CIP-al Waste... hmmm...

― village idiot (dog latin), Wednesday, 16 June 2010 08:56 (fifteen years ago)

I always say mu-NI-cip-al.

― anagram, Wednesday, 16 June 2010 10:33 (fifteen years ago)

The correct answer is obviously:
"Does It Offend You, Yeah?"
Urgh.

― Pheeel, Wednesday, 16 June 2010 21:04 (fifteen years ago)

xpost

almost there , I reckon
Fucking shocking and irritating to the extreme.

Where they any good? I avoiding them because of their name.

Who wouldn't?

Crunching kick into the balls

― Fer Jessie the Drunk Dutch Mountain Ark (Mobbed Up Ping Pong Psychos), Wednesday, 16 June 2010 21:17 (fifteen years ago)

The Strange Death Of Liberal England

^ I would like to nominate these guys

― Vision Creation Mansun (NickB), Wednesday, 16 June 2010 21:45 (fifteen years ago)

Also has anyone said iLiKETRAiNS yet?

― Vision Creation Mansun (NickB), Wednesday, 16 June 2010 21:46 (fifteen years ago)

Actually every single band that last.fm says is similar to TSDOLE has a shitey name:

http://www.last.fm/music/The+Strange+Death+Of+Liberal+England/+similar

― Vision Creation Mansun (NickB), Wednesday, 16 June 2010 21:49 (fifteen years ago)

Youthmovie Soundtrack Strategies wtf?

― Vision Creation Mansun (NickB), Wednesday, 16 June 2010 21:50 (fifteen years ago)

Upcdowncleftcrightcabc+start

^ okay let's kill these people

― Vision Creation Mansun (NickB), Wednesday, 16 June 2010 21:52 (fifteen years ago)

cats and cats and cats is probably the worst of all those

― sugar fuckup (electricsound), Wednesday, 16 June 2010 22:53 (fifteen years ago)

Upcdowncleftcrightcabc+start

i kinda don't understand. the Cs i mean. why.

― rabbis (arby's), Wednesday, 16 June 2010 23:07 (fifteen years ago)

they're a bunch of c----s

― psychrock...? (electricsound), Wednesday, 16 June 2010 23:08 (fifteen years ago)

Always hated Cherry Poppin' Daddies for it's horrible rapey invocation.

― disastrous sixth series (MaresNest), Thursday, 17 June 2010 20:26 (fifteen years ago)

Aw, I like the name "personal and the pizzas" - because, well, pizza

― sarahel, Thursday, 17 June 2010 20:34 (fifteen years ago)

disk jokke

― gay sauna manthems (LOLK), Thursday, 17 June 2010 21:33 (fifteen years ago)

The worst thing about Cherry Poppin' Daddies is, at a Warped Tour, I once saw a girl walking around, holding her mother's hand, and she couldn't have been older than ten or so, wearing a Cherry Poppin' Daddies t-shirt. Unto the pure all things are pure, I guess.

― breaking that little dog's heart chakra (Abbott), Thursday, 17 June 2010 21:36 (fifteen years ago)

TV on the Radio is quite a bad name.

― rhythm fixated member (chap), Thursday, 17 June 2010 22:15 (fifteen years ago)

Went to see Future Of The Left the other week, and one support was Ice Sea Dead People, and I really couldn't see how it could get worse, but the first band were called Hold Your Horse Is.

― useless chamber, Thursday, 17 June 2010 22:35 (fifteen years ago)

"Hold Your Horse Is" is also the name of a Hella album.

What about - Gay Against You ?

― village idiot (dog latin), Friday, 18 June 2010 11:08 (fifteen years ago)

I've seen Cats and Cats and Cats and they seemed like a nice bunch of kids.

― village idiot (dog latin), Friday, 18 June 2010 11:09 (fifteen years ago)

That makes it worse! "Why has your band got such a bad name?" "well we copied it off someone else."

― useless chamber, Friday, 18 June 2010 11:11 (fifteen years ago)

It seems that crappy sub-pun phraselike band names are the order of the day. I don't know what's more irritating, things like Youthmovie Soundtrack Strategies, uninspired NRR names like The Hives, The Strokes, The Drums etc or early 90s band names that sound as though they were made to put you off like Toad The Wet Sprocket, Pity The Small Thumbs etc.

― village idiot (dog latin), Friday, 18 June 2010 11:13 (fifteen years ago)

I always hated The Dandy Warhols as a name.

― village idiot (dog latin), Friday, 18 June 2010 11:14 (fifteen years ago)

I kind of like the name Municipal Waste, but find it hard to intonate correctly in everyday speech, especially with a British accent. Mun-I-cipal Waste, MUN-i-CIP-al Waste... hmmm...
― village idiot (dog latin), Wednesday, June 16, 2010 4:56 AM (2 days ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
I always say mu-NI-cip-al.
― anagram, Wednesday, June 16, 2010 6:33 AM (2 days ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

What on earth y'all?

http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/audio.pl?munici01=municipal

― kkvgz, Friday, 18 June 2010 12:07 (fifteen years ago)

Or, if you would rather:

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/municipal

― kkvgz, Friday, 18 June 2010 12:09 (fifteen years ago)

It's just that the phrase doesn't roll off the tongue very easily when referring to them as a band.

Same as Acrimony - is it pronounced "acri-many" or "acri-moan-y"?

― village idiot (dog latin), Friday, 18 June 2010 13:54 (fifteen years ago)

Fischerspooner
Blossom Toes
The Academy Is...
Jump 'N The Saddle Band
The Mama's and the Papa's (complete with inappropriate possessive apostrophes!)
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy
My Life With The Thrill Kill Cult

Also, so many early rock bands from the late 1950s to early 1960s had incredibly mundane, unimaginative names.

― Lee626, Saturday, 19 June 2010 20:02 (fifteen years ago)

Goo Goo Dools, bar none. Come on.

― firehorse, Saturday, 19 June 2010 20:49 (fifteen years ago)

Dolls, that is.

― firehorse, Saturday, 19 June 2010 20:49 (fifteen years ago)

Upcdowncleftcrightcabc+start

i kinda don't understand. the Cs i mean. why.

config mode code for sonic 1 on genesis.

― the most horrifying moment in shallow grave (abanana), Saturday, 19 June 2010 21:04 (fifteen years ago)

a lot of these terrible band names are actually great band names

― LOS CATIOS (latebloomer), Sunday, 20 June 2010 03:26 (fifteen years ago)

three months pass...

Tame Impala

― margana (anagram), Monday, 27 September 2010 15:00 (fifteen years ago)

I can't think of any bands I really like that have an animal in their name.

― lady gagaku (corey), Monday, 27 September 2010 15:14 (fifteen years ago)

the Beatles?

― Gaspar NoAgé (Whiney G. Weingarten), Monday, 27 September 2010 15:14 (fifteen years ago)

Oh yeah, but at this point "The Beatles" is just a set of phonemes that represent nothing in my mind other than four British dudes.

― lady gagaku (corey), Monday, 27 September 2010 15:18 (fifteen years ago)

Shad
Anti-Pop Consortium

― village idiot (dog latin), Monday, 27 September 2010 15:19 (fifteen years ago)

Lali Puna

― lady gagaku (corey), Monday, 27 September 2010 15:20 (fifteen years ago)

Upcdowncleftcrightcabc+start

i kinda don't understand. the Cs i mean. why.

― rabbis (arby's)

And I was all WHAAAAAAA?! because

this

― spazzercise (staggerlee), Tuesday, 28 September 2010 17:06 (fifteen years ago)

Also, Neutral Milk Hotel. *barf*

― spazzercise (staggerlee), Tuesday, 28 September 2010 17:08 (fifteen years ago)

Any later-day post rock or emo sounding shite like None Of Us Knew We Were Robots or Dust Of A Thousand Charred Pylons or anything with Robot, Bear, Captain or references to ships.

― MyFatherWillGuideMeUpARopeToYourMum (MaresNest), Tuesday, 28 September 2010 17:09 (fifteen years ago)

you do realise we're officially called Captain Robotic Bear and the Dying Embers Of His Burning Galleon now

― acoleuthic, Tuesday, 28 September 2010 17:12 (fifteen years ago)

None of Them Knew They Were Robots is a Mr. Bungle song.

― haircrüt 100 (kkvgz), Tuesday, 28 September 2010 17:14 (fifteen years ago)

Whatevs.

― MyFatherWillGuideMeUpARopeToYourMum (MaresNest), Tuesday, 28 September 2010 17:15 (fifteen years ago)

Velvet Velvet Spice Rack

― (+) (+ +), Tuesday, 28 September 2010 18:01 (fifteen years ago)

Ugh, I just had to look.
http://www.myspace.com/andnoneofthemknewtheywererobots

― MyFatherWillGuideMeUpARopeToYourMum (MaresNest), Tuesday, 28 September 2010 21:26 (fifteen years ago)

We Were Promised Jetpacks
The Twilight Sad
The The. Everyone thinks it when they're 13. No need to do it.

― paulhw, Tuesday, 28 September 2010 23:41 (fifteen years ago)

Deer Tick

― lady gagaku (corey), Tuesday, 28 September 2010 23:44 (fifteen years ago)

We Were Promised Jetpacks

What, this is good.

I'm sick of willfully unpronounceable and google-proof names like OOOooO or whatever it is (see also !!!).

― rhythm fixated member (chap), Tuesday, 28 September 2010 23:53 (fifteen years ago)

Arctic Monkeys is a duff name. Put me off checking them out for ages, then irritated me because I had to then say I liked a band with a crap name.

― Dr X O'Skeleton, Wednesday, 29 September 2010 17:39 (fifteen years ago)

The The. Everyone thinks it when they're 13. No need to do it.

― paulhw, Wednesday, September 29, 2010 12:41 AM (18 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

not in the eighties.

― meisenfek, Wednesday, 29 September 2010 17:53 (fifteen years ago)

Oozing Goo

― margana (anagram), Friday, 8 October 2010 15:08 (fourteen years ago)

Tame Impala

― margana (anagram), Monday, September 27, 2010 11:00 AM Bookmark

Yeah this. If you're going to come to the table three years late with a band that sounds a little too much like Dungen, do not also put the word "tame" in your name.

― buju_stanton (Hurting 2), Friday, 8 October 2010 15:12 (fourteen years ago)

Maudlin the Well
...really?
why not Sappy the Pump? Gloomy the Culvert? Morose the Cistern?

― m0stlyClean, Friday, 8 October 2010 17:37 (fourteen years ago)

Ursine Vulpine

― margana (anagram), Tuesday, 19 October 2010 11:47 (fourteen years ago)

Pop's Cool Love

― EL CUCUY (lpz), Wednesday, 20 October 2010 01:05 (fourteen years ago)

I can't think of any bands I really like that have an animal in their name

This. eg Frightened Rabbit ffs.

― margana (anagram), Wednesday, 27 October 2010 08:46 (fourteen years ago)

Echo and the Bunnymen?

― Mark G, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 09:01 (fourteen years ago)

The CuELEPHANTre?

― Mark G, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 09:01 (fourteen years ago)

Bunnymen are not animals, they are men.

― adamj, Wednesday, 27 October 2010 09:06 (fourteen years ago)

two months pass...

The AV Club's Year In Band Names is up. Could make a poll thread.

― children with wasting diseases (Phil D.), Wednesday, 5 January 2011 14:43 (fourteen years ago)

anything from first person (i.e. 'I am' 'I did' and all that shite) is pretty annoying.

― jumpskins, Wednesday, 5 January 2011 15:45 (fourteen years ago)

a friend of mine once said he'd start a band called the droneas brothers.

― jumpskins, Wednesday, 5 January 2011 15:47 (fourteen years ago)

triple post and everything but i just spat out my earl grey snorting derivatively at this from the AV list:

(facepalm)
Faith And The Muse
A Rose By Any Other Name
Change We Still Dream
Children Of The Almost
Sundried Truth
Dance Of The Mourning Child
A Sonnet To Silence
Fragile Utopia
Angels Of Babylon
Backseat Dreamer
A Crush On Yesterday
Shroud Of Despondency
Destruction Of A Rose
Romance On A Rocketship
The Loveable Tulips
Wishpenny
Coping
Teen Daze
The Love Hangover
Raven Nevermore
Barefoot Truth
Retards In Love
Shaman’s Harvest
Lying Naked With The Stars

― jumpskins, Wednesday, 5 January 2011 15:50 (fourteen years ago)

i really like the band, but seriously: Tim and Sam's Tim and the Sam Band with Tim and Sam

― poppagemoose (electricsound), Thursday, 6 January 2011 08:54 (fourteen years ago)

four weeks pass...

Times New Roman

― ban this sick stunt (anagram), Thursday, 3 February 2011 13:35 (fourteen years ago)

Someone named a band after the font?!

― Tuomas, Thursday, 3 February 2011 14:00 (fourteen years ago)

font was actually named after the band's stately, accessible, familiar sound

― odd taran wild'n gang killam all (Whiney G. Weingarten), Thursday, 3 February 2011 14:02 (fourteen years ago)

http://www.myspace.com/timesnewroman

at least they shouldn't have any problems deciding on the typeface for their album cover

― ban this sick stunt (anagram), Thursday, 3 February 2011 14:09 (fourteen years ago)

the fact there's already been a Times New Viking makes this even fucking worse

― acoleuthic, Thursday, 3 February 2011 14:11 (fourteen years ago)

one month passes...

Mushroom's Patience

― ban this sick stunt (anagram), Friday, 18 March 2011 08:46 (fourteen years ago)

My least favourite band name - echobelly I mean, who ever thought that was a good one?

is it a Patti Smith reference? a semi quote from Kimberly?
It was dawn & the storm ECHOed in your BELLY? Think that's the line anyway

― Stevolende, Friday, 18 March 2011 09:59 (fourteen years ago)

The Beatles (doh! I guess it’s kind of easy to overlook among all the hyperbole and adulation, just what a thoroughly beguiling and quite frankly absurd/shit name it actually is. Imagine having a band called The Cockroaches turning up today and being proclaimed the greatest thing since sliced bread and saviours of popular culture as we know it. You just simply wouldn’t be able to take them seriously. Fancy naming themselves after such festering, squalid, useless f**ing vermin. Even if they are from Liverpool....)

It's actually a pretty good name for the time & a tribute to The Crickets the Buddy Holly band. I think it's a household word now so has a life of its own. Near sui generis associative link once you know who they are, or certainly for a few generations. In short, I think name pretty much = object so any possible shortcomings are outside the picture.
& I like the name anyway.

It might fall into the trap of band name is from an era before the band became themselves, as in not just a local band playing to local audiences and possibly wanted to rename after moving to next level.
Bit like Bark Psychosis (way too juvenile Goth/indie for the Che & later work, but were like 14 or 15 when they coined the name) or Live Skull (similar reason, bit too Goth/Indie for the band in later stages. Though they were a lot older than BP) & I'm sure there are others who pretty much outgrew the bandname but stuck with it cos that's what they were already known as or whatever.

I like The Beatles though.

― Stevolende, Friday, 18 March 2011 10:15 (fourteen years ago)

Did I imagine this or was there a bandin the early 90's called Fflaps??

no, singer went out with Fat Mark singer of Dandelion Adventure, later manager of Cornershop. Fflaps came from Wales, might be why they have 2 fs in the name.

― Stevolende, Friday, 18 March 2011 11:03 (fourteen years ago)

I think I went to school with Fat Mark.

― progspeed you! black metallers (aldo), Sunday, 20 March 2011 16:34 (fourteen years ago)

I kind of like the name The Electric Assholes (from The Onion list)

I think there's a band called PDF Format. Not only is it the most boring, insipid thing you could name your band after, it's redundant to boot. Whether they didn't realize that or they thought it was extra-clever, it still SUCKS.

― relentlessly ugly frat hedonist retard anthems I have loved (staggerlee), Monday, 21 March 2011 01:31 (fourteen years ago)

Psychedelic Horseshit

― ban this sick stunt (anagram), Monday, 28 March 2011 10:17 (fourteen years ago)

two weeks pass...

Conquering Animal Sound

― ban this sick stunt (anagram), Monday, 11 April 2011 15:06 (fourteen years ago)

Com Truise

― Triquinoise (Amenaza Elegante), Monday, 11 April 2011 16:07 (fourteen years ago)

Ringo Deathstarr, tho I take solace in that their really nothing more than an MBV homage band.

― o pointy birds, o pointy pointy, anoint my head, anoity noity (kelpolaris), Monday, 11 April 2011 16:47 (fourteen years ago)

three weeks pass...

Krum Bums

― ban this sick stunt (anagram), Monday, 2 May 2011 15:00 (fourteen years ago)

http://images.emusic.com/music/images/album/284/110/363/11036340/300x300.jpg

― immer wieder, ralf & günther (NickB), Thursday, 12 May 2011 22:13 (fourteen years ago)

ten months pass...

Play The Tracks Of

― my father will guide me up the stairs to bed (anagram), Thursday, 15 March 2012 09:47 (thirteen years ago)

Booklet

― my father will guide me up the stairs to bed (anagram), Friday, 16 March 2012 08:49 (thirteen years ago)

Skip The Foreplay

― Sébastien, Friday, 16 March 2012 19:16 (thirteen years ago)

it like, this is the solution they come up with to capture their essence of "rapey douche metal" without calling themselves Rapey Douche Metal

― Sébastien, Friday, 16 March 2012 19:20 (thirteen years ago)

Shouldn't be surprised I guess.

The Front Bottoms are a two-piece band based out of Bergen County, NJ. The band was formed in 2006 and originally had three members: Brian Sella (vocals, guitar, lyricist), Brian Uychich (keyboard, vocals) and Mathew Uychich (drums). However, as of fall 2010, Brian Uychich left the band to concentrate on school full-time and become a gynecologist.

― Upt0eleven, Wednesday, 28 March 2012 10:58 (thirteen years ago)

two months pass...

Jukebox the Ghost
Young the Giant

― Peaceniks, Homos, and Potheads Who Wear Ties (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Wednesday, 13 June 2012 10:44 (thirteen years ago)

the music

always pissed me off, that.

― jumpskins, Wednesday, 13 June 2012 21:29 (thirteen years ago)

ctrl+f "No matches found"

Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong

Lock thread, we've found it.

― heated debate over derpy hooves (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 13 June 2012 21:38 (thirteen years ago)

Yeah that's definitely top five material. Can't really think of any that are worse.

― Peaceniks, Homos, and Potheads Who Wear Ties (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Thursday, 14 June 2012 03:25 (thirteen years ago)

Sooner Than Gary

― moley, Thursday, 14 June 2012 07:03 (thirteen years ago)

The Cancer Bats?

― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Thursday, 14 June 2012 07:54 (thirteen years ago)

Useless ID

― my father will guide me up the stairs to bed (anagram), Thursday, 14 June 2012 08:58 (thirteen years ago)

three weeks pass...

Sunken Foal

― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Thursday, 5 July 2012 10:08 (thirteen years ago)

The Dee Dee Dums - Tame Impala - Pond

― owenf, Thursday, 5 July 2012 10:15 (thirteen years ago)

lol o shi I just got 'Sunken Foal'

― if you are a false nine don't entry (DJ Mencap), Thursday, 5 July 2012 10:50 (thirteen years ago)

It is a very pity shun

― gonna send him to outer space, to hug another face (NickB), Thursday, 5 July 2012 10:55 (thirteen years ago)

NGC-4594 cos its got no semantic hook unless you're into astronomy. Pretty decent psychedelic band with touches of the Velvets though. Apparently sunk without trace because of the name though.

― Stevolende, Thursday, 5 July 2012 11:37 (thirteen years ago)

two months pass...

Worriedaboutsatan

― mod night at the oasis (NickB), Tuesday, 11 September 2012 18:22 (thirteen years ago)

MellowHype

― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Wednesday, 12 September 2012 15:14 (thirteen years ago)

Surfer Blood

― spazzmatazz, Wednesday, 12 September 2012 23:27 (thirteen years ago)

one month passes...

Bassnectar

― suggest butt (Pillbox), Thursday, 8 November 2012 08:12 (twelve years ago)

Complicated Universal Cum

― Albert Crampus (NickB), Friday, 9 November 2012 18:02 (twelve years ago)

Hinder

― mod is my co-pilot (Pillbox), Wednesday, 14 November 2012 00:28 (twelve years ago)

Turbo Fruits

― Trip Maker, Wednesday, 14 November 2012 01:00 (twelve years ago)

two months pass...

The History of Apple Pie

― Jaap and roids (NickB), Wednesday, 30 January 2013 23:36 (twelve years ago)

Ned's Atomic Dustbin.
Dumpy's Rusty Nuts.
Carter USM
Most of the stuff XFM used to play in the early 90s

― Dr X O'Skeleton, Thursday, 31 January 2013 20:16 (twelve years ago)

Grimes

― that futterwacken you like is back in style (how's life), Thursday, 31 January 2013 20:18 (twelve years ago)

iamamiwhoami

― miesepeter (alex in mainhattan), Thursday, 31 January 2013 22:42 (twelve years ago)

tUnE-yArDs

― negative people on the internet. (instrumental) (unregistered), Thursday, 31 January 2013 22:43 (twelve years ago)

The Internet

― miesepeter (alex in mainhattan), Friday, 1 February 2013 21:21 (twelve years ago)

The History of Apple Pie

this really might be the worst

― ☕ (diamonddave85), Friday, 1 February 2013 22:34 (twelve years ago)

Foxygen

― miesepeter (alex in mainhattan), Sunday, 3 February 2013 16:14 (twelve years ago)

Mother Love Bone
Blues Control (reminds me of Blues Hammer)

― asthmatic american, Sunday, 3 February 2013 17:04 (twelve years ago)

I'm Not a Band (all band names starting with I for that matter but this one takes the cake for stupidity)

― it's the distortion, stupid! (alex in mainhattan), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 06:21 (twelve years ago)

two weeks pass...

Chelsea Light Moving

― acid in the style of tenpole tudor (NickB), Friday, 1 March 2013 07:46 (twelve years ago)

Sounds like Thurston has started up a man-with-a-van business now that SY are no more

― acid in the style of tenpole tudor (NickB), Friday, 1 March 2013 07:48 (twelve years ago)

There is a woman calling herself Lady Lamb Beekeeper. Does she make generic folk-pop with awful, affected vocals? Yes she does.

― new hope for orang-utan (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Friday, 1 March 2013 10:01 (twelve years ago)

Chelsea Light Moving is the name of the removal company that Glass & Reich had in the early 70's iirc

― shouting in a bucket blues (MaresNest), Friday, 1 March 2013 13:32 (twelve years ago)

Ha, it is? Wasn't that far off then after all

― acid in the style of tenpole tudor (NickB), Friday, 1 March 2013 13:34 (twelve years ago)

confirmed! http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17766-chelsea-light-moving-chelsea-light-moving/

― Neil S, Friday, 1 March 2013 13:35 (twelve years ago)

In which case I am sad that Philip Glass chose such a shit name for his removals company.

― acid in the style of tenpole tudor (NickB), Friday, 1 March 2013 13:51 (twelve years ago)

He should have gone with Mylorrysnotqostli

― acid in the style of tenpole tudor (NickB), Friday, 1 March 2013 13:52 (twelve years ago)

vg+

― Mark G, Friday, 1 March 2013 14:40 (twelve years ago)

Chelsea Light Moving is the name of the removal company that Glass & Reich had in the early 70's iirc

― shouting in a bucket blues (MaresNest), Friday, 1 March 2013 13:32 (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

maybe I need to learn2google but the only reference to this I can find that hasn't ganked it off the press release for this album is a tweet from last July that I think is obliquely talking about the band

― an average girl realizing that leggings aren't helping the cause (DJ Mencap), Friday, 1 March 2013 14:47 (twelve years ago)

turns out I did. ilx's own Jon Lewis posted about it on here a month or so ago!

― an average girl realizing that leggings aren't helping the cause (DJ Mencap), Friday, 1 March 2013 14:51 (twelve years ago)

three weeks pass...

Shampoo Boy

― my father will guide me up the stairs to bed (anagram), Tuesday, 26 March 2013 20:18 (twelve years ago)

Man or Astroman? kinda pisses me off for whatever reason

― global tetrahedron, Tuesday, 26 March 2013 20:21 (twelve years ago)

peanut butter wolf pisses me off. so does dandy warhols.

― Poliopolice, Tuesday, 26 March 2013 21:04 (twelve years ago)

I love em, but Thee Oh Sees is an unfortunate name

― wk, Tuesday, 26 March 2013 21:25 (twelve years ago)

the hold steady

― yellow jacket (spazzmatazz), Wednesday, 27 March 2013 06:04 (twelve years ago)

I thought Thee Oh Sees was a pun on theosis and I like it
Usage of "Thee" band names is always at critical mass though, i.e. there are always exactly enough

― a source of "vegelate" (flamboyant goon tie included), Wednesday, 27 March 2013 14:54 (twelve years ago)

Pert Near Sandstone

― monster_xero, Wednesday, 27 March 2013 15:15 (twelve years ago)

peanut butter and jelly would be a great name for a band!

― it's the distortion, stupid! (alex in mainhattan), Wednesday, 27 March 2013 22:41 (twelve years ago)

Mano Le Tough

― ProAm Chomsky (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Thursday, 28 March 2013 02:02 (twelve years ago)

two months pass...

Statistics (Number Theory or Poisson Distribution would be fine as band name but how can you give your band such a generic name?)

― it's the distortion, stupid! (alex in mainhattan), Wednesday, 26 June 2013 19:54 (twelve years ago)

one month passes...

Just got an email today re: "The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer." See, it's a two-man band, and one plays harmonica while the other...

― Same old bland-as-sand mood mouthings (Dan Peterson), Thursday, 15 August 2013 19:12 (twelve years ago)

I was just today wondering whatever happened to these guys, and then I saw this thread had resurfaced. They would have done much better if they'd called themselves "The Minders" or "Apples In Stereo" or something like that...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQp_bNJFB-o

― dlp9001, Thursday, 15 August 2013 19:37 (twelve years ago)

"Cerebral Ballzy"

― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 28 August 2013 08:56 (twelve years ago)

i swear i'm not making that up

― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 28 August 2013 08:56 (twelve years ago)

Harmonica Lewinsky

― paolo, Wednesday, 28 August 2013 09:28 (twelve years ago)

The Milk Drinkers

― my father will guide me up the stairs to bed (anagram), Wednesday, 28 August 2013 10:06 (twelve years ago)

two months pass...

T-Shit

― my father will guide me up the stairs to bed (anagram), Tuesday, 29 October 2013 16:09 (eleven years ago)

one month passes...

Albums

Prostitutes - Crushed Interior

(27/30)

― xelab, Monday, 16 December 2013 16:03 (13 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

enough. i've fucking had enough of this shit

― VENIET IMBER (imago), Monday, 16 December 2013 16:06 (eleven years ago)

B-b-but... we are all Prostitutes.

― emil.y, Monday, 16 December 2013 16:27 (eleven years ago)

^^^

also Prostitutes is not a band

― karajan up the khyber (NickB), Monday, 16 December 2013 16:30 (eleven years ago)

laying nominative claim to a human demographic with plural noun

here are some putative terrible band names

Poor People
Children
Refugees
Students
Policemen
Criminals
Doctors

etc

― VENIET IMBER (imago), Monday, 16 December 2013 16:40 (eleven years ago)

four weeks pass...

Grumbling Fur

― my father will guide me up the stairs to bed (anagram), Wednesday, 15 January 2014 08:51 (eleven years ago)

Yeah sounds like The Yummy Fur and it doesn't make much sense.

― An embarrassing doorman and garbage man (dog latin), Wednesday, 15 January 2014 09:40 (eleven years ago)

If only they'd called themsleves Yummy Appendix

― Eats like Elvis, shits like De Niro (Tom D.), Wednesday, 15 January 2014 15:48 (eleven years ago)

əkoostik hookah

― Yes, Yes, Of Course, My American Friend! Ah Ha Ha Ha! (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 15 January 2014 16:07 (eleven years ago)

TS: Most Retarded-Looking əkoostik hookah Member In This Publicity Still

http://rlv.zcache.com/ekoostik_hookah_print-r1475674cb88d4917935a684feaf9733b_wac_8byvr_324.jpg

― Yes, Yes, Of Course, My American Friend! Ah Ha Ha Ha! (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 15 January 2014 16:09 (eleven years ago)

Perfect Pussy
Joanna Gruesome

― ian, Wednesday, 15 January 2014 20:16 (eleven years ago)

three weeks pass...

UTR have also been busy getting together our new split LP for Dog Chocolate and Ravioli Me Away that will see the light of day on Feb 24th

― night boat to mega therion (NickB), Tuesday, 11 February 2014 10:31 (eleven years ago)

Kind of disappointed to find that Les Incompétents has been taken as a band name.

― doglato dozzy (dog latin), Tuesday, 11 February 2014 11:52 (eleven years ago)

Rav Me Away are super-good, though. Playing Brighton on the 15th (I am playing in London, sadly).

― emil.y, Tuesday, 11 February 2014 11:54 (eleven years ago)

I am playing in London, sadly

^ there's yr album title right there ^

― night boat to mega therion (NickB), Tuesday, 11 February 2014 12:00 (eleven years ago)

(also yay! and good luck!)

― night boat to mega therion (NickB), Tuesday, 11 February 2014 12:04 (eleven years ago)

That Ravioli Me Away/Dog Chocolate album artwork isn't gonna win over any bandname haters either.

However, RMA are indeed pretty fucking awesome as asserted.

― ineloquentwow (Craigo Boingo), Tuesday, 11 February 2014 23:56 (eleven years ago)

five months pass...

Wet Spinach

― goth colouring book (anagram), Monday, 21 July 2014 14:18 (eleven years ago)

they ruined my vegetarian sushi

― clouds, Tuesday, 22 July 2014 18:10 (eleven years ago)

Just today I have learned of Roy Orbitron, which is just generically bad these days, and the awe-inspiring folderol of Hypocrite in a Hippy Crypt.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 22 July 2014 19:04 (eleven years ago)

one month passes...

Dan le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip

― clouds, Monday, 25 August 2014 21:27 (eleven years ago)

Dirty Diapers

― rip van wanko, Monday, 25 August 2014 21:47 (eleven years ago)

two weeks pass...

Testicle Hazard

― goth colouring book (anagram), Friday, 12 September 2014 10:15 (eleven years ago)

Couldn't help but notice that the Raveonettes thread is active on sna. Really glad this one was here too.

― how's life, Friday, 12 September 2014 10:21 (eleven years ago)

There's this band fairly local to me called Childhood who are getting traction ATM and I can't bear to even check them out based on that name.

― monoprix à dimanche (dog latin), Friday, 12 September 2014 10:26 (eleven years ago)

GoGo_Penguin

― sʌxihɔːl (Ward Fowler), Friday, 12 September 2014 10:30 (eleven years ago)

Child Pornography

― rushomancy, Friday, 12 September 2014 11:45 (eleven years ago)

The Twilight Sad

― monoprix à dimanche (dog latin), Tuesday, 16 September 2014 09:00 (eleven years ago)

cage the elephant
jukebox the ghost
foster the people

― i also enjoy in line skateing (spazzmatazz), Tuesday, 16 September 2014 09:03 (eleven years ago)

maudlin the well

― m0stlyClean, Tuesday, 16 September 2014 17:28 (eleven years ago)

vertical horizon

― m0stlyClean, Tuesday, 16 September 2014 19:04 (eleven years ago)

did a ctrl+f for meat beat manifesto, surprised it wasn't mentioned in like, 2001

― clouds, Tuesday, 16 September 2014 20:14 (eleven years ago)

Worst type of band name: somebody's something, e.g., Larry Weiner's Audiotronic Escape Unit.

― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Tuesday, 16 September 2014 20:30 (eleven years ago)

Gil Matera's Party Dream?
Brian Auger's Oblivion Express?
Ruth's Chris Steak House?

― Dokken played here for a Ribfest and people were total assholes (Sparkle Motion), Tuesday, 16 September 2014 20:32 (eleven years ago)

Nah, that last one is ok.

― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Tuesday, 16 September 2014 20:34 (eleven years ago)

Child Pornography

― rushomancy, Friday, September 12, 2014 6:45 AM (4 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

That's one way to stop piracy

― Maggie killed Quagmire (collest baby ever) (frogbs), Tuesday, 16 September 2014 20:48 (eleven years ago)

I just cringed at seeing the name Haerts for the first time. I might not have cringed thusly five years earlier.

― my jaw left (Hurting 2), Tuesday, 16 September 2014 20:51 (eleven years ago)

they should change their name to Haaretz

― Dokken played here for a Ribfest and people were total assholes (Sparkle Motion), Tuesday, 16 September 2014 21:01 (eleven years ago)

lol

― my jaw left (Hurting 2), Tuesday, 16 September 2014 21:29 (eleven years ago)

Apparently nobody's said Dire Straits.

― Camaraderie at Arms Length, Wednesday, 17 September 2014 01:22 (eleven years ago)

just been informed of a gig down the road from me with three bands called The Amsterdam Redlight District, Sexwolf and The Broken Bones Gentleman’s Club

fuck off the lot of you

― well-behaved wingmen really hate Mystery (DJ Mencap), Thursday, 18 September 2014 15:07 (eleven years ago)

hahahaaa

would guess at their sound but all slightly noised-up indie tbh

― imago, Thursday, 18 September 2014 15:20 (eleven years ago)

Selebrities

― 93. Oasis - pollrunner needed for this one (imago), Monday, 22 September 2014 21:18 (eleven years ago)

searching for Sexwolf, there is a band from Los Angeles called 'SEX WOLF' and a band from 'Midlands Uk' called 'Sexwolf!', might have to rebrand as 'UK Sexwolf' if their career takes off in the states

― soref, Monday, 22 September 2014 21:33 (eleven years ago)

but then it becomes quite a good name

― 93. Oasis - pollrunner needed for this one (imago), Monday, 22 September 2014 21:35 (eleven years ago)

also why am I laughing like a madman

― 93. Oasis - pollrunner needed for this one (imago), Monday, 22 September 2014 21:35 (eleven years ago)

would have gone with Sexxwolf personally, maybe Sexxxwolf.
Sexxwolf already taken my a Turkish male cam-model

― soref, Monday, 22 September 2014 21:41 (eleven years ago)

Full ratings, statistics, and LolKing score for Sexxxwolf, a summoner on the Europe West region.

― UK Sexwolf (imago), Monday, 22 September 2014 21:43 (eleven years ago)

Perfume Genius -- I just don't even want to know if this is any good or not.

― my jaw left (Hurting 2), Monday, 22 September 2014 21:46 (eleven years ago)

Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) <---the fuck is this

― example (crüt), Monday, 22 September 2014 21:48 (eleven years ago)

oh man, that is bad

― my jaw left (Hurting 2), Monday, 22 September 2014 21:50 (eleven years ago)

Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!

― Black Arkestra, Thursday, 25 September 2014 01:26 (eleven years ago)

18+

― john wahey (NickB), Thursday, 25 September 2014 17:06 (eleven years ago)

Alt+J

― it's the distortion, stupid! (alex in mainhattan), Friday, 26 September 2014 16:40 (eleven years ago)

Tonstartssbandht.

― Tomás Piñon (Ryan), Friday, 26 September 2014 18:22 (eleven years ago)

I'm starting a band called <---the fuck is this. The preceding arrow is mandatory.

― Dick Clownload (Dan Peterson), Friday, 26 September 2014 18:24 (eleven years ago)

two weeks pass...

Fever the Ghost

― Merdeyeux, Tuesday, 14 October 2014 17:45 (ten years ago)

Re: Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate)...

"As for the meaning behind the name, I’ve had a lifetime of bands not working out, and so I chose a name to reflect my frustration. I tend to hide lyrics and names behind a lot of dense symbolism, so here’s the general break-down of the name. “Empire! Empire!” is that one evasive dream that you want so badly, and you will always chase it, but it never seems quite in reach. The “(I Was a Lonely Estate)” portion was where I felt I was incomplete and insignificant. It’s hard to get off the ground if you can’t find reliable people to share your dream. The exclamation points mark how important the dream is, and the parenthesis signify that I feel like I am unimportant and unnoticed."

― everything, Tuesday, 14 October 2014 17:51 (ten years ago)

'I Am Unimportant And Unnoticed' would have been a better name

― Dokken played here for a Ribfest and people were total assholes (Sparkle Motion), Tuesday, 14 October 2014 17:55 (ten years ago)

two weeks pass...

Trampled By Turtles

― my jaw left (Hurting 2), Thursday, 30 October 2014 03:11 (ten years ago)

but that is a great name!

― it's the distortion, stupid! (alex in mainhattan), Thursday, 30 October 2014 12:27 (ten years ago)

Is it?

― Hey Bob (Scik Mouthy), Thursday, 30 October 2014 13:09 (ten years ago)

two months pass...

http://i.vimeocdn.com/video/504080284_640.jpg

― why you gotta be so rmde (NickB), Tuesday, 27 January 2015 10:12 (ten years ago)

much as i like them, rae sremmurd is an appalling name

― diss strychnine (dog latin), Tuesday, 27 January 2015 10:20 (ten years ago)

Oh yeah.

― how's life, Tuesday, 27 January 2015 12:59 (ten years ago)

one month passes...

Japancakes. A shame because I like them and want to recommend them but I feel uncomfortable recommending them because the band's name is Japancakes.

― U SNOOZE U LOOZE BRAH (Old Lunch), Tuesday, 3 March 2015 20:53 (ten years ago)

tUnE-yArDs certainly has the most obnoxious typography. I was surprised to learn Garbus was born in 1979; figured she was a le 90s kid.

― Adam J Duncan, Wednesday, 4 March 2015 00:53 (ten years ago)

(And how has Wussy not been mentioned?)

― Adam J Duncan, Wednesday, 4 March 2015 00:55 (ten years ago)

i do so like japancakes, and mitigating factor is the other japannamedbands.

― men without hat tips (Hunt3r), Wednesday, 4 March 2015 01:36 (ten years ago)

three weeks pass...

http://mouthfeel.bandcamp.com/

― the geographibebebe (unregistered), Friday, 27 March 2015 02:34 (ten years ago)

four months pass...

Son of Salami/Joey Pizza Slice

― a poetic ODE to FORNICATION (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Saturday, 1 August 2015 03:16 (ten years ago)

one month passes...

just had notification that Drinks will now be supported by Stacking Chairs

― feargal czukay (NickB), Wednesday, 2 September 2015 15:42 (ten years ago)

Car Seat Headrest

― how's life, Wednesday, 2 September 2015 16:17 (ten years ago)

There's a list on the rolling album covers thread that features both King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, and Captain Kickarse and the Awesomes. Both strong contenders right there.

― ultros ultros-ghali, Wednesday, 2 September 2015 18:16 (ten years ago)

two months pass...

Fat White Family

― motörhead - or gaz, matron? (NickB), Thursday, 26 November 2015 10:26 (nine years ago)

Meatraffle

― motörhead - or gaz, matron? (NickB), Thursday, 26 November 2015 10:26 (nine years ago)

two months pass...

While there is irony in a band calling themselves Journalism, don't confuse it with today’s increasingly popular tongue-in-cheek cynicism. With their debut LP Faces, Journalism frontman (and former journalism major) Kegan Zema investigates the very nature of being in a band. What does it mean to make guitar rock in 2016? How do you stay afloat in a place as overflowing with bands as the Brooklyn DIY scene? Why do you stress so much over something you are privileged to even be able to pursue?

― Skaciety (pronounced the way you'd pronounce society) (DJ Mencap), Monday, 1 February 2016 15:21 (nine years ago)

hahaha christ

― ZESTY O'PRIDE (imago), Monday, 1 February 2016 15:28 (nine years ago)

still think that I dislike Algiers at least 40% because of their stupid, stupid name

― ZESTY O'PRIDE (imago), Monday, 1 February 2016 15:35 (nine years ago)

why stupid?

― smoothy doles it (nakhchivan), Monday, 1 February 2016 15:37 (nine years ago)

this seems to be in the same sort of priggish WE'RE EMPHATICALLY CHECKING OUR PRIVILEGE AS A GUITAR BAND camp, except worse because it's claiming to be Journalism, having its cake and faceplanting into it too

I don't like any bandname that is also a placename, but calling your band a placename that has recent historical weight even though you've had nothing to do with it strikes me as...crass. It'd be like calling a band Basra, ffs

― ZESTY O'PRIDE (imago), Monday, 1 February 2016 15:39 (nine years ago)

Coming soon to a town near you...LOCKERBIE

― ZESTY O'PRIDE (imago), Monday, 1 February 2016 15:39 (nine years ago)

algiers is a very large and important city not a village
by recent historical weight you are probably referring to something that happened over half a century ago unless you take more interest in maghrebi politics that would be apparent from your posts

― smoothy doles it (nakhchivan), Monday, 1 February 2016 15:41 (nine years ago)

that paragraph is cool and worth quoting but there's something to be said for people calling their shit indie rock bands stupid names just to get a rise out of rubes on twitter etc

― smoothy doles it (nakhchivan), Monday, 1 February 2016 15:43 (nine years ago)

still think it's crass

bandnames laying claim to numinous concepts like important 20thcentury placenames or human demographics or professions are almost all shit, give me counterexamples

― ZESTY O'PRIDE (imago), Monday, 1 February 2016 15:43 (nine years ago)

u.s. girls missing out is a heinous and abysmal tragedy of listening that i'd have thought ilx would avoid but clearly not

― I remember you was vote-splitted (imago), Thursday, January 28, 2016 12:41 AM (4 days ago)

― smoothy doles it (nakhchivan), Monday, 1 February 2016 15:47 (nine years ago)

not sure I ever heard their music but I think about these guys every so often https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorry_About_Dresden

― Skaciety (pronounced the way you'd pronounce society) (DJ Mencap), Monday, 1 February 2016 15:48 (nine years ago)

yeah i remember them idk if i heard them

http://www.discogs.com/artist/941324-The-Vichy-Government

― smoothy doles it (nakhchivan), Monday, 1 February 2016 15:50 (nine years ago)

I like the name Algiers for some reason. It looks good in bold font and somehow I got a sense of their vibe just from the name before I listened to them, which must be saying something.

― canoon fooder (dog latin), Monday, 1 February 2016 15:50 (nine years ago)

The Police had some good songs

― sarahell, Monday, 1 February 2016 15:51 (nine years ago)

http://www.discogs.com/viewimages?release=7510149

― smoothy doles it (nakhchivan), Monday, 1 February 2016 15:51 (nine years ago)

definite article immediately improves numinous thing, c.f. the mountain goats etc

u.s. girls is a weirdly qualified demographic which >>>> 'u.s.' or 'girls' on their own

― ZESTY O'PRIDE (imago), Monday, 1 February 2016 15:59 (nine years ago)

Laibach

― François Pitchforkian (NickB), Monday, 1 February 2016 16:04 (nine years ago)

Journalism should release a record called Today's Increasingly Popular Tongue in Cheek

― on entre O.K. on sort K.O. (man alive), Monday, 1 February 2016 17:05 (nine years ago)

I woke up this morning with the idea of a band called the Yourinyls (pronounced "your EYE nals")

― on entre O.K. on sort K.O. (man alive), Monday, 1 February 2016 17:09 (nine years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iA-nx6TMWho

― smoothy doles it (nakhchivan), Monday, 1 February 2016 17:15 (nine years ago)

itt: we name all bands

So, Yourinyls aren't real? Aww.

― sbahnhof, Monday, 1 February 2016 19:04 (nine years ago)

the world is a beautiful place and i am no longer afraid to die

― flappy bird, Monday, 1 February 2016 19:13 (nine years ago)

― Skaciety (pronounced the way you'd pronounce society) (DJ Mencap), Monday, February 1, 2016 10:21 AM (5 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

is this

is this ethics in journalism

― a self-reinforcing downward spiral of male-centric indie (katherine), Monday, 1 February 2016 20:34 (nine years ago)

heh

― Skaciety (pronounced the way you'd pronounce society) (DJ Mencap), Monday, 1 February 2016 21:02 (nine years ago)

three weeks pass...

When 'Airy Met Fairy

― François Pitchforkian (NickB), Wednesday, 24 February 2016 10:19 (nine years ago)

four months pass...

Marty's Chicken Trigger

― veggie sticks potato snacks (Sufjan Grafton), Tuesday, 19 July 2016 19:56 (nine years ago)

R.L. Kelly

― Treeship, Tuesday, 19 July 2016 22:04 (nine years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vphzZfiIcQ

this is what they sound like btw. the music is not the worst.

― Treeship, Tuesday, 19 July 2016 22:05 (nine years ago)

one year passes...

lol

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portugal._The_Man
The band's name is based on the idea of David Bowie's "bigger than life" fame. They wanted the band to have a bigger than life feel but didn't want to name it after one of their members. "A country is a group of people," guitar player and vocalist John Gourley explains. "With Portugal, it just ended up being the first country that came to mind. The band's name is 'Portugal'. The period is stating that, and 'The Man' states that it's just one person."

― IF (Terrorist) Yes, Explain (man alive), Tuesday, 16 January 2018 19:13 (seven years ago)

that is indeed the worst band name

― niels, Wednesday, 17 January 2018 07:03 (seven years ago)

agreed

― flappy bird, Wednesday, 17 January 2018 07:44 (seven years ago)

Melkbelly

― pre millennial tension (uptown churl), Wednesday, 17 January 2018 19:48 (seven years ago)

Milky Chance

― kornrulez6969, Wednesday, 17 January 2018 20:59 (seven years ago)

that is indeed the worst band name

― niels, Wednesday, 17 January 2018 07:03 (fourteen hours ago) Permalink

agreed

― flappy bird, Wednesday, 17 January 2018 07:44 (thirteen hours ago) Permalink

I literally think it is. Worst one I have ever seen.

― IF (Terrorist) Yes, Explain (man alive), Wednesday, 17 January 2018 21:40 (seven years ago)

Bandname. The Worst

― IF (Terrorist) Yes, Explain (man alive), Wednesday, 17 January 2018 21:40 (seven years ago)

That's awful but I think this still tops it:

Re: Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate)...
"As for the meaning behind the name, I’ve had a lifetime of bands not working out, and so I chose a name to reflect my frustration. I tend to hide lyrics and names behind a lot of dense symbolism, so here’s the general break-down of the name. “Empire! Empire!” is that one evasive dream that you want so badly, and you will always chase it, but it never seems quite in reach. The “(I Was a Lonely Estate)” portion was where I felt I was incomplete and insignificant. It’s hard to get off the ground if you can’t find reliable people to share your dream. The exclamation points mark how important the dream is, and the parenthesis signify that I feel like I am unimportant and unnoticed."
― everything, Tuesday, 14 October 2014 18:51 (three years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

― you can make fun of birthday parties all you want (ultros ultros-ghali), Wednesday, 17 January 2018 21:44 (seven years ago)

That explanation at least demonstrates a basic command of how language operates.

― IF (Terrorist) Yes, Explain (man alive), Wednesday, 17 January 2018 22:00 (seven years ago)

breakfast muff is a pretty bad band name

― khat person (jim in vancouver), Wednesday, 17 January 2018 22:01 (seven years ago)

"I’ve had a lifetime of bands not working out, and so [at age 22] I chose a name to reflect my frustration."

― mick signals, Wednesday, 17 January 2018 22:06 (seven years ago)

Yak Ballz

― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Wednesday, 17 January 2018 22:28 (seven years ago)

khat person (jim in vancouver) at 5:01 17 Jan 18

breakfast muff is a pretty bad band name

Thank you for sharing this because a) I think the name's hilarious and b) this band is right up my alley.

― how's life, Thursday, 18 January 2018 11:37 (seven years ago)

“We were going to be called Fanny and the Breakfast Muffs and now I’m really glad that we cut it short,” says Simone Wilson early in our chat. “We were looking through mad books like...” – adopting a creepy voice – “‘we need a really good name – a really disgusting name.’” From the off we know we’re in good company.

(via)

― ♫ very clever with maracas.jpg ♫ (Le Bateau Ivre), Thursday, 18 January 2018 11:47 (seven years ago)

one month passes...

Pianos Become The Teeth

Bonus points because they're part of a musical movement called "The Wave".

― enochroot, Thursday, 8 March 2018 03:11 (seven years ago)

three months pass...

Snail Mail

― We can be herpes (Tom D.), Friday, 8 June 2018 12:36 (seven years ago)

three months pass...

Greta Van Fleet

― how's life, Monday, 24 September 2018 12:54 (seven years ago)

Honestly have to mentally correct myself that they aren't a van rental company each time.

― in twelve parts (lamonti), Monday, 24 September 2018 14:57 (seven years ago)

one month passes...

90's Christian alt-metal band "Beanbag"

― circa1916, Wednesday, 21 November 2018 15:59 (six years ago)

Greta Van Fleet

― how's life, Monday, September 24, 2018 8:54 AM (one month ago) Bookmark

I actually kind of like this name, my problem is it sounds like the name of a good band, but as it happens that is not the case

― rip van wanko, Wednesday, 21 November 2018 16:03 (six years ago)

Like them both but:

The For Carnation
The Sea and Cake (and knowing where the name came from almost makes it worse)

― 'Rock Me (I'm a Dais)' (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 21 November 2018 16:07 (six years ago)

seven months pass...

ctrl-f

"Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs" not found

― Ambient Police (sleeve), Thursday, 27 June 2019 02:02 (six years ago)

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/mannequin-pussy-patience/

― Consider the coconut (morrisp), Thursday, 27 June 2019 02:17 (six years ago)

three months pass...

The Pooh Sticks: https://www.discogs.com/artist/243277-The-Pooh-Sticks
(apparently the band leader went by "Hue Pooh")

― enochroot, Monday, 30 September 2019 20:12 (six years ago)

though in truth the thread should have been locked after the entry above for "Portugal. The Man"

― enochroot, Monday, 30 September 2019 20:15 (six years ago)

I’ve recently come around to the belief that it is not possible for a good band name to include the word ‘fuck’. Tropical Fuck Storm being the latest example.

― “Hakuna Matata,” a nihilist philosophy (One Eye Open), Monday, 30 September 2019 21:13 (six years ago)

The Pooh Sticks weren't (aren't) a terrible band.

― blue light or electric light (the table is the table), Monday, 30 September 2019 21:56 (six years ago)

Has there been a band called Fuck Cancer? ... i think that might actually be a kinda good band name tho

― sarahell, Monday, 30 September 2019 22:28 (six years ago)

A band called Fuck Trump would get bookings however bad they were

― Stockhausen Serves Empirical Jism (Matt #2), Monday, 30 September 2019 22:42 (six years ago)

four months pass...

Got an email today with the subject line "Steaksauce Mustache Announce US Tour w/ Okilly Dokilly." That's two for one.

― but also fuck you (unperson), Thursday, 13 February 2020 14:50 (five years ago)

Sports Team

― ymo sumac (NickB), Tuesday, 25 February 2020 09:55 (five years ago)

Okilly Dokilly is a perfectly reasonable name for a Ned Flanders themed metal band

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BEvh6HSQc0

― Wuhan!! Got You All in Check (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Tuesday, 25 February 2020 10:01 (five years ago)

I mean, yeah.

― romanesque architect (pomenitul), Tuesday, 25 February 2020 10:05 (five years ago)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portugal._The_Man
The band's name is based on the idea of David Bowie's "bigger than life" fame. They wanted the band to have a bigger than life feel but didn't want to name it after one of their members. "A country is a group of people," guitar player and vocalist John Gourley explains. "With Portugal, it just ended up being the first country that came to mind. The band's name is 'Portugal'. The period is stating that, and 'The Man' states that it's just one person."
― IF (Terrorist) Yes, Explain (man alive), Wednesday, January 17, 2018 3:13 AM (two years ago) bookmarkflaglink

It's still hard to look beyond this.

― Sam Weller, Tuesday, 25 February 2020 10:47 (five years ago)

Okilly Dokilly is a perfectly reasonable name for a Ned Flanders themed metal band

A Ned Raggett themed metal band, now that would be something.

― Load up your rubber wallets (Tom D.), Tuesday, 25 February 2020 10:50 (five years ago)

"With Portugal, it just ended up being the first country that came to mind. The band's name is 'Portugal'. The period is stating that, and 'The Man' states that it's just one person."

If the band has several members, why do they want to state that "it's just one person"?

― Tuomas, Tuesday, 25 February 2020 11:03 (five years ago)

A Boogie Wit da Hoodie has to be up there (or down there).

― does it look like i'm here (jon123), Tuesday, 25 February 2020 12:18 (five years ago)

This makes it slightly clearer, not less shit

BB: Where does the name Portugal, The Man come from? I kind of get puzzled looks when I say your name.
PTM: It’s an interesting name, I guess. It is kind of an alter ego like Ziggy Stardust and Sgt Pepper. It’s our character to represent us as a band. In picking a country’s name, it was one name that represents a group of people. It made sense for a while, but we have regretted it ever since that day (Laughs).
BB: Is there a reason for the pronunciation and spelling of Portugal, period, the Man?
PTM: We did that to state that Portugal was the man’s name and he is the man; he’s the shit.

https://blanknews.com/2011/06/get-name-portugal-man/

― Wuhan!! Got You All in Check (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Tuesday, 25 February 2020 12:19 (five years ago)

Just one misplaced definite article

― Dunty Reggae party 🎉 (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, 25 February 2020 12:33 (five years ago)

eight months pass...

.Gif From God

https://www.discogs.com/artist/4803123-Gif-From-God

― kites aren't fun (NickB), Tuesday, 17 November 2020 15:49 (four years ago)

two months pass...

Pink Cream 69

jesus fucking christ......

― if Spaghetti-Os had whammy bars (Neanderthal), Sunday, 31 January 2021 22:56 (four years ago)

Psychedelic Porn Crumpets
http://www.psychedelicporncrumpets.com/

― in twelve parts (lamonti), Tuesday, 9 February 2021 16:22 (four years ago)

Yeah, I've listened to them and think they're amazing, but the name pretty much ensures I'm never going to recommend them to anyone.

― peace, man, Tuesday, 9 February 2021 16:44 (four years ago)

one year passes...

There needs to be a sub-thread of band who've changed problematic names, but don't want to rebuild an audience from scratch, so settle on some strained compromise:
~~British~~ Sea Power
The ~~Dixie~~ Chicks
Lady A~~ntebellum~~

― enochroot, Wednesday, 23 February 2022 19:51 (three years ago)

... And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead

― immodesty blaise (jimbeaux), Wednesday, 23 February 2022 19:56 (three years ago)

Friends of Dean Martin(ez)

― Josefa, Wednesday, 23 February 2022 20:03 (three years ago)

The Blessed Madonna

― Nedlene Grendel as Basenji Holmo (map), Wednesday, 23 February 2022 20:22 (three years ago)

"Chicks" is problematic too should just change to "The"

― frogbs, Wednesday, 23 February 2022 20:25 (three years ago)

seriously though the Dixie Chicks name change is just baffling to me, I get why they changed it but this is like Beastie Boys changing their name to Boys

― frogbs, Wednesday, 23 February 2022 20:28 (three years ago)

why is there no sign on this fish shop?

― sorry Mario, but our princess is in another butthole (Neanderthal), Wednesday, 23 February 2022 20:40 (three years ago)

The Virgin Prunes came up recently – I realized I have zero interest in ever hearing their music, based solely on that name.

― Not Dork Yet (alternate toke) (morrisp), Wednesday, 23 February 2022 21:07 (three years ago)

https://www.discogs.com/artist/2191626-The-Toten-Crackhuren-Im-Kofferraum

― meisenfek, Wednesday, 23 February 2022 22:43 (three years ago)

The Virgin Prunes came up recently – I realized I have zero interest in ever hearing their music, based solely on that name.

Your loss mate

― Johnny Mathis der Maler (Boring, Maryland), Thursday, 24 February 2022 01:39 (three years ago)

two months pass...

Yoko Pwno

― enochroot, Saturday, 7 May 2022 02:51 (three years ago)

Billy Strings

― peace, man, Wednesday, 18 May 2022 12:09 (three years ago)

not *my* lover

― Deez NFTs (Neanderthal), Wednesday, 18 May 2022 13:28 (three years ago)

Ghost piss

― /asarco (AcnalbasacNoom), Wednesday, 18 May 2022 13:31 (three years ago)

six months pass...

Crywank

― ledge, Tuesday, 13 December 2022 09:19 (two years ago)

I've recently been made aware of bands called Ritt Momney and San Holo.

― Wet Legume (morrisp), Friday, 16 December 2022 19:16 (two years ago)

three weeks pass...

Hobo Johnson

― made entirely of styrofoam (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Tuesday, 10 January 2023 10:57 (two years ago)

someone else on here pointed it out on their thread but I do think "Big Thief" is a really bad band name, but not because it's gross or a bad pun or obnoxious like the other ones on this thread, it's just meaningless and unmemorable. if someone told me "check out this band Big Thief" I would forget about it 5 seconds later. it is like the opposite of "Nine Inch Nails".

― frogbs, Tuesday, 10 January 2023 14:48 (two years ago)

Also easily confused with one-time SubPop band Big Chief!

https://i.discogs.com/GWMQWbOiQ982iKBlXRYbpKYOyUavmu4Fp9PSPa6qp2s/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:536/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTExMDEx/MTYtMTY3MTE1NTg0/Ni03MTgwLmpwZWc.jpeg

― peace, man, Tuesday, 10 January 2023 15:05 (two years ago)

“Nine Inch Nails” is a corny band name on its face (IMO). “Big Thief” may be a little nondistinctive but I don’t think it’s bad.

― Wet Legume (morrisp), Tuesday, 10 January 2023 15:10 (two years ago)

(At least it’s a novel phrase, unlike a name as unmemorable as Beach House or whatever)

― Wet Legume (morrisp), Tuesday, 10 January 2023 15:12 (two years ago)

Many indigenous North American languages have a distinction between the head of a band or tribe and a leader of a confederation of tribes. At various times and in various places you might have a weroance (tribal chief) and a mamanatowick, sagamore, or sachem (big chief, indicating a chief with subordinate chiefs).

At least some 17th-century English colonists expressed the distinction by referring to their monarchs as "Big Chief Elizabeth" or "Big Chief James," to indicate that the Queen or King was hierarchically above other rulers.

― I got two Clark Gables and a slide trombone (Ye Mad Puffin), Tuesday, 10 January 2023 15:18 (two years ago)

OK but the band name is “Big Thief”

― Wet Legume (morrisp), Tuesday, 10 January 2023 15:50 (two years ago)

Chief Theef

― fentanyl young (Neanderthal), Tuesday, 10 January 2023 15:58 (two years ago)

International Chief Thief

― peace, man, Tuesday, 10 January 2023 16:34 (two years ago)

Big Thief is the worst band name I could imagine. It simultaneously doesn't mean anything, and it lacks visual description, and it sounds like a shitty cover band. It's a combination of small words that leads you... nowhere. So I assumed the music would do the same thing. And, to be honest, they're not my thing at all.

― paulhw, Tuesday, 10 January 2023 21:10 (two years ago)

what's the deal with indie rock bands having such drab functional names these days? it beats the worst excesses of the hipster era but it's way too much of an overcorrection and doesn't really inspire me to give their music a fair shot

― your original display name is still visible (Left), Tuesday, 10 January 2023 23:47 (two years ago)

the beths, the national, dry cleaning, car seat headrest

some of them might even be good idk but come on try a bit harder

― your original display name is still visible (Left), Tuesday, 10 January 2023 23:53 (two years ago)

I guess it's nothing new since most of the classic indie and postpunk band names are either boring or ridiculous if you think about them too much

― your original display name is still visible (Left), Tuesday, 10 January 2023 23:54 (two years ago)

Ah yes,the halcyon days of highly meaningful band names like The The

― everybody was tofu fighting (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 11 January 2023 00:05 (two years ago)

The Smiths
The Cure
The Police

― Wet Legume (morrisp), Wednesday, 11 January 2023 00:26 (two years ago)

I hate the name Beach House and have never wanted to listen to them for this totally understandable reason (though I did hear Depression Cherry once)

― you can see me from westbury white horse, Wednesday, 11 January 2023 00:27 (two years ago)

The Hood Internet

― Publicradio (3×5), Thursday, 12 January 2023 00:42 (two years ago)

By far, Car Seat Headrest is the worst one mentioned so far.

― I can't tell if he's trolling or not (ilxor), Thursday, 12 January 2023 06:56 (two years ago)

Beatles is a pretty naff functional name, pun on an earlier archetypal group name. But it got valorised into something by usage and the group being somewhat phenomenal.
The Smiths, artisanal songcraft?
THe Cure arrogant statement on their place in the world, Cure for their non existence? Can't remember where the original 2 word version of that came from Easy Cure .... is it a song or some other reference.

― Stevolende, Thursday, 12 January 2023 07:27 (two years ago)

some DJ is calling themselves jichael mackson
FFS

― massaman gai (front tea for two), Thursday, 12 January 2023 15:02 (two years ago)

I dislike when a band is called something super basic, like "Cake" or "Live," but they have a convoluted explanation that "It doesn't mean what you think..."

― Vexatious litigant (morrisp), Thursday, 12 January 2023 15:46 (two years ago)

There's a narrow range between basic (The Music, the Band, Television, Can, The The...) and too cute like Ululating Mummies, Pamplamoose, Squirrel Nut Zippers

― everybody was tofu fighting (Ye Mad Puffin), Thursday, 12 January 2023 15:52 (two years ago)

I kinda wish modern bands would go for more ridiculous names like Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, but I guess if everyone is an Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, then no one is an Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

― Vinnie, Thursday, 12 January 2023 16:01 (two years ago)

I listen to a genre where there are a glut of bands that seem to be the founders looking for an obscure pretentious verb and a disgusting obscure medical condition and awkwardly sew them together. so my standards are low.

just no spoonerisms

― fentanyl young (Neanderthal), Thursday, 12 January 2023 16:56 (two years ago)

Hey, Adjective Noun is one of my favorite bands.

Surely you're familiar with their albums Promising Debut and Disappointing Followup.

― everybody was tofu fighting (Ye Mad Puffin), Thursday, 12 January 2023 17:17 (two years ago)

obscure pretentious verb and a disgusting obscure medical condition

Ah yes, who can forget...

Flagellating Chlamydia

Defenestrated Buboes

Spatchcock and the Goiters

The Collating Hemorrhoids

Televangelize Pimple

― everybody was tofu fighting (Ye Mad Puffin), Thursday, 12 January 2023 17:23 (two years ago)

I hated both the named Wet Leg and Dry Cleaning, and then was all bummed out when I liked each band's music.

― Alex in NYC, Thursday, 12 January 2023 20:54 (two years ago)

Coming to your town together on the Wet & Dry Tour.

― Vexatious litigant (morrisp), Thursday, 12 January 2023 21:09 (two years ago)

Bahaha

― Alex in NYC, Friday, 13 January 2023 18:53 (two years ago)

two weeks pass...

Cal Rifkin

― Alicia Silver Stone (Boring, Maryland), Tuesday, 31 January 2023 16:34 (two years ago)

She's... back?!!

https://i.imgur.com/5oDect6.jpg

...Oh.

https://i.imgur.com/THxAfOX.png

― listened to "Mississippi" one take too long (morrisp), Thursday, 2 February 2023 03:16 (two years ago)

Could mean the Whitney museum on tour too..

― Alicia Silver Stone (Boring, Maryland), Thursday, 2 February 2023 16:10 (two years ago)

Oh, I wanna sit awkwardly on a bed with somebody

I wanna wear a shirt with somebody

― forbidden fruit salad (Ye Mad Puffin), Thursday, 2 February 2023 16:13 (two years ago)

three weeks pass...

“@“

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/at-mind-palace-music/

― unknown blues singer (morrisp), Friday, 24 February 2023 18:03 (two years ago)

Not sure if it’s because their music is generally terrible but I hate the name “Imagine Dragons”

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Friday, 24 February 2023 18:14 (two years ago)

Yeah me too. It's one of those superficially clever band names because one can read it in the imperative: "imagine (that there are) dragons." Or one can read implied punctuation such as "imagine... dragons!" as in sheesh, what the fuck are dragons doing here?

Ditto "Cage the Elephant," which has an imperative reading: "cause that elephant to be caged," as well as the slightly twee notion that there is an elephant named Cage, hence an implied comma: "Cage, the elephant, wishes to be fed more peanuts."

Lots of band names can just die in fire. Maybe bands should all just be issued a number like the Social Security system.

I am guilty too; during an especially weird part of the twentieth century I was in an experimental jazz band that spelled its name differently for every show. I vaguely wish I had kept some of the posters. Curds and Whey, Kurds n Way, Curds + Weigh, Kurds & Whey, etc.

― nat king cole slaw (Ye Mad Puffin), Friday, 24 February 2023 21:17 (two years ago)

Oh, I wanna sit awkwardly on a bed with somebody
I wanna wear a shirt with somebody

Underrated post

― pee change (flamboyant goon tie included), Friday, 24 February 2023 21:34 (two years ago)

It's one of those superficially clever band names because one can read it in the imperative: "imagine (that there are) dragons." Or one can read implied punctuation such as "imagine... dragons!" as in sheesh, what the fuck are dragons doing here?
Ditto "Cage the Elephant," which has an imperative reading: "cause that elephant to be caged," as well as the slightly twee notion that there is an elephant named Cage, hence an implied comma: "Cage, the elephant, wishes to be fed more peanuts."

🤯 tbh

― The field divisions are fastened with felicitations. (Deflatormouse), Friday, 24 February 2023 21:36 (two years ago)

Hed PE

Is it a Public Enemy reference?

― INDEPENDENTS DAY BY STEVEN SPILBERG (President Keyes), Saturday, 25 February 2023 21:08 (two years ago)

i always thought it was an abbreviation for "planet earth"

― up and down. SO FAST! stay together.💙 (Austin), Saturday, 25 February 2023 21:10 (two years ago)

hey i was kinda right

Hed PE (also known as (hed) Planet Earth and stylized as (həd) p.e. or as (Hed)pe[12] or (Hed)PE[13]) or (həd) Planetary Evolution, is an American rock band from Huntington Beach, California.

― up and down. SO FAST! stay together.💙 (Austin), Saturday, 25 February 2023 21:12 (two years ago)

also lol @ all those different variations and me still sitting here going, "so is it like, head pee or HEAD PEE EE?"

― up and down. SO FAST! stay together.💙 (Austin), Saturday, 25 February 2023 21:15 (two years ago)

two months pass...

Their / They're / There

― enochroot, Thursday, 4 May 2023 13:26 (two years ago)

oh jeez

― Cthulhu Diamond Phillips (Neanderthal), Thursday, 4 May 2023 14:08 (two years ago)

Makes sense considering the three members were previously in such bands as Cap'n Jazz, Into It. Over It., and Loose Lips Sink Ships.

― henry s, Thursday, 4 May 2023 15:15 (two years ago)

might as well name their next one Well, Akshually

― Cthulhu Diamond Phillips (Neanderthal), Thursday, 4 May 2023 15:17 (two years ago)

Pretty good song titles

― Are You There God? It's a-Me, Mario (morrisp), Thursday, 4 May 2023 15:34 (two years ago)

two months pass...

There's a local shit deathcore band called Catcher And the Rye

― linoleum gallagher (Neanderthal), Saturday, 8 July 2023 19:13 (two years ago)

I am fairly sure they're just idiots that think that is the title of the book. They are humongous douchebags

― linoleum gallagher (Neanderthal), Saturday, 8 July 2023 19:13 (two years ago)

probably for a different thread, but cant find one suitable, what's the most obvious band name that hasn't been "taken" yet? Taken by a somewhat notable band who would stop someone else using it I mean.

― the world is your octopus (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Saturday, 8 July 2023 21:53 (two years ago)

I have been thinking about this. Animal names are popular - Eagles, scorpions, Owls, Wolves, Coyotes, Worms, Otters, Bonobos, Giraffes, Zebra, Naked Mole Rats, Wallabies, Sloths, Tardigrades, Yellowjackets, Fruit Bats, Bandicoots? Apparently all taken.

But there are some still sitting out there unclaimed. I am not aware of a band called the Ring-Tailed Lemurs, or the Earwigs.

The sneakiest move would be to call your next band The Beetles. Technically it hasn't been taken.

― pomplamoose and circumstance (Ye Mad Puffin), Saturday, 8 July 2023 22:21 (two years ago)

Earwig has already been used - early 90s shoegazer band who later turned into Insides

― NickB, Saturday, 8 July 2023 22:40 (two years ago)

I once read that the most common band names in America are Paradox; The Rain; and some third one I forgot. Googling confirms that Paradox is a top 10 name, as are Apollo, Atlas, and Zero.

― Josefa, Saturday, 8 July 2023 22:43 (two years ago)

These are fun things to check out on last.fm, for example

https://www.last.fm/music/Paradox

― the world is your octopus (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Saturday, 8 July 2023 23:04 (two years ago)

The 1960s was a huge landgrab for common words. You just had to plant a “The” flag in front of it.

― Alito Bit of Soap (President Keyes), Sunday, 9 July 2023 12:48 (two years ago)

xxxpost, I check every once in a while, but there's never been a hardcore band called Lifetime of Abuse

there is Life is Abuse but I don't like the ring of that as well

― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Sunday, 9 July 2023 13:28 (two years ago)

I was pretty upset to discover Moni Jitchell recently - I thought we'd agreed to stop doing this shit

― your original display name is still visible (Left), Sunday, 9 July 2023 14:13 (two years ago)

Buckcherry should have been the last word in that nonsense

― henry s, Sunday, 9 July 2023 15:13 (two years ago)

pro-tip - if you used to be in the band Saliva and you want to go on tour and do their songs, but Saliva still exists and you can't legally use their name, perhaps best not to use the naming convention "Josey Scott's Saliva"

― linoleum gallagher (Neanderthal), Sunday, 16 July 2023 13:55 (two years ago)

lol

― Deflatormouse, Monday, 17 July 2023 01:32 (two years ago)

i had a really good "worst band name" idea last night, but forgot it! it was 2 words and one of the words was 'Pizza'

― Deflatormouse, Monday, 17 July 2023 01:33 (two years ago)

Sounds like band-name trauma induced by this:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F1F4B-7agAEotGg?format=jpg&name=large

― Bittern Storm Over My Hammy (morrisp), Monday, 17 July 2023 01:59 (two years ago)

Pizza Great Guy

― Alito Bit of Soap (President Keyes), Monday, 17 July 2023 13:47 (two years ago)

five months pass...

The "ILM Best of 2023 Tracks Nominations" playlist just served me up a song by needanamebro.

― enochroot, Friday, 5 January 2024 17:12 (one year ago)

they got a new name now bro

https://www.instagram.com/saynow

they're great but I'm glad they changed it that name wasn't doing them any favours

― Left, Friday, 5 January 2024 17:18 (one year ago)

ruby the hatchet

― organ doner (ledge), Thursday, 18 January 2024 13:44 (one year ago)

...I had avoided "Amp Fiddler" until a couple weeks ago due to the truly dire choice of name, but turns out he's great!

― m0stly clean (Slowsquatch), Thursday, 18 January 2024 14:39 (one year ago)

four months pass...

ruby the hatchet makes me think of the simpsons be sharps ep "we need a name that's clever at first but less funny each time you hear it"

― made entirely of styrofoam (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Thursday, 23 May 2024 07:51 (one year ago)

is "ruby the hatchet" a pun I am not getting? Is it supposed to sound like "booby hatch" or something? help me out here, I'm not in a place where I can say this out loud without looking like a crazy person

― Paul Ponzi, Thursday, 23 May 2024 12:14 (one year ago)

Bury the hatchet

― Are you addicted to struggling with your horse? (Boring, Maryland), Thursday, 23 May 2024 12:44 (one year ago)

oh, duh! thanks, that was driving me crazy. I need some caffeine

― Paul Ponzi, Thursday, 23 May 2024 12:52 (one year ago)

You and me both.

― Poets Win Prizes (Tom D.), Thursday, 23 May 2024 13:26 (one year ago)

what a horribly formed "pun"

― your mom goes to limgrave (dog latin), Thursday, 23 May 2024 13:30 (one year ago)

They should change their name to Bury Tuesday.

― Poets Win Prizes (Tom D.), Thursday, 23 May 2024 13:32 (one year ago)

We the type of people who don't ruby the axe

― A So-Called Pulitzer price winner (President Keyes), Thursday, 23 May 2024 13:51 (one year ago)

ten months pass...

Sean Na Na

― enochroot, Friday, 4 April 2025 01:45 (five months ago)

I did not need to see those pasty white beer bellies on clicking that link.

― Dan Worsley, Friday, 4 April 2025 08:31 (five months ago)

three months pass...

Surely, Michael Cera Palin was named with the kind of lol self-awareness that they would end up on lists like this.

― enochroot, Wednesday, 23 July 2025 20:28 (two months ago)

Quite impressed with the double pun, but it's still not a good name.

― Proust Ian Rush (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Wednesday, 23 July 2025 20:34 (two months ago)

Cera, Palin and Tall

― Iza Duffus Hardy (President Keyes), Wednesday, 23 July 2025 20:35 (two months ago)

Some more searching on whether Michael Cera Palin intended the double pun (alas, they didn't) led me to this thread-locker of a list:
https://rateyourmusic.com/list/mookid/artists-from-the-late-2000s_2010s-whose-names-are-an-ironic-parody-of-the-name-of-a-celebrity/

― enochroot, Wednesday, 23 July 2025 21:12 (two months ago)

Slightly ruin a celebrity name

― henry s, Wednesday, 23 July 2025 21:48 (two months ago)

Wait what’s the double pun with “Michael Cera Palin?”

― Black Sabaoth (Boring, Maryland), Wednesday, 23 July 2025 22:26 (two months ago)

Michael Cera
Sarah Palin
Michael Palin

― Proust Ian Rush (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Wednesday, 23 July 2025 22:28 (two months ago)

why not just go all out:

Ruth's Chris Paul George Michael Cera Palin

― henry s, Wednesday, 23 July 2025 22:35 (two months ago)

this thread-locker of a list

wow.

have to admit tho i'd have chuckled seeing "Wayne Longer" as a rejected JBR screen name

― budo jeru, Wednesday, 23 July 2025 22:40 (two months ago)

Amazed that there's an Amy Grindhouse but nobody has claimed Amy Crackhouse yet.

― Proust Ian Rush (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Wednesday, 23 July 2025 22:48 (two months ago)

The name "Scary German Guy" legit made me laugh out loud. Somehow the fact that they're from Long Island makes it funnier.

― obvious, Thursday, 24 July 2025 02:08 (two months ago)

The funny thing about Michael Cera Palin is that for a band with such a jokey/ironic name they seem remarkably earnest.

― husked, tonal wails (irrational), Thursday, 24 July 2025 13:55 (two months ago)

The singer openly admits in that article that he named the band that way for SEO (search engine optimization):

Take Brabant, who wasn’t even in a band yet when he came up with the name Michael Cera Palin, which he debuted in 2015. He reverse-engineered the moniker after he concluded that “celebrity names were very algorithm-friendly” and his music would thus “reach a nonzero amount of ears.” The musician wasn’t even aware his creation also parodied comedian Michael Palin until a Monty Python Facebook page accidentally auto-tagged his group in a post.

― enochroot, Thursday, 24 July 2025 13:59 (two months ago)

Eric American Idle

― Iza Duffus Hardy (President Keyes), Thursday, 24 July 2025 14:27 (two months ago)

Dr John Cleese

― mirostones, Thursday, 24 July 2025 16:38 (two months ago)

Graham Chapman Styx

― henry s, Thursday, 24 July 2025 16:56 (two months ago)

Terry Jesus Jones

― Posts That Witness Madness (Tom D.), Thursday, 24 July 2025 17:08 (two months ago)

Sister Carol Cleveland

― henry s, Thursday, 24 July 2025 17:51 (two months ago)

Vince Neil Innes

― Ashley Pomeroy, Friday, 25 July 2025 17:19 (two months ago)

Todd Terry Gilliam

― henry s, Friday, 25 July 2025 18:56 (two months ago)

The Knights Who Say Nils Lofgren

― Iza Duffus Hardy (President Keyes), Friday, 25 July 2025 19:36 (two months ago)

Judean People's Front 242

― Gavin, Leeds, Friday, 25 July 2025 19:41 (two months ago)

The Dead Jimmy Buffet Fan Sketch

― Iza Duffus Hardy (President Keyes), Friday, 25 July 2025 20:15 (two months ago)

one month passes...

Butt Mommy

― Mr. T's Ballroom (Boring, Maryland), Wednesday, 24 September 2025 12:03 (one week ago)

Yeah, don't like that at all.

― peace, man, Wednesday, 24 September 2025 12:21 (one week ago)

lol

― Cow_Art, Wednesday, 24 September 2025 12:26 (one week ago)

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