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 (12 years ago) Permalink

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 (12 years ago) Permalink

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

― Greg, Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

Cud.

― jel, Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

ABBA

― Pete, Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

supertramp

moist

ladytron

yes

city-based names: boston, chicago, etc

ratt

― sundar subramanian, Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

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

― Patrick, Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

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 (12 years ago) Permalink

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 (12 years ago) Permalink

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 (12 years ago) Permalink

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 (12 years ago) Permalink

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 (12 years ago) Permalink

Ween. It's just *stupid*

― Ally, Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

keeping with the punk/crapmetal names...

a moon beneath the grindsludge.

― Kevin Enas, Wednesday, 21 March 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

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 (12 years ago) Permalink

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

― Patrick, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

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 (12 years ago) Permalink

the real people. self explanatory...

― gareth, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

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 (12 years ago) Permalink

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 (12 years ago) Permalink

---- 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 (12 years ago) Permalink

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 (12 years ago) Permalink

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

― Omar, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

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 (12 years ago) Permalink

the worst pop name has got to belil bow wow

― yvette burgess, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

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 (12 years ago) Permalink

'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 (12 years ago) Permalink

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 (12 years ago) Permalink

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 (12 years ago) Permalink

There was a "Creaming Jesus" of course.

― The Jester, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

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 (12 years ago) Permalink

Mustard Plug. Ugh.

― Steven James, Thursday, 22 March 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

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 (12 years ago) Permalink

Dio.

― JM, Friday, 23 March 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

Tool & Korn & those kind of things.

― D.Zarakov, Friday, 23 March 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

...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 (12 years ago) Permalink

Warrior Soul and Reigndance.

― Nicole, Friday, 23 March 2001 01:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

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 (12 years ago) Permalink

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 (12 years ago) Permalink

...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 (12 years ago) Permalink

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 (12 years ago) Permalink

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 (12 years ago) Permalink

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 (12 years ago) Permalink

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 (12 years ago) Permalink

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 (12 years ago) Permalink

The Meat Puppets

― Nick, Monday, 26 March 2001 00:00 (12 years ago) Permalink

...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 (12 years ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

Wang Chung

― Nick, Tuesday, 29 May 2001 00:00 (11 years ago) Permalink

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 (11 years ago) Permalink

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 (11 years ago) Permalink

Skipping 387 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

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 (1 year ago) Permalink

2 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 (11 months ago) Permalink

the music

always pissed me off, that.

― jumpskins, Wednesday, 13 June 2012 21:29 (11 months ago) Permalink

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 (11 months ago) Permalink

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 (11 months ago) Permalink

Sooner Than Gary

― moley, Thursday, 14 June 2012 07:03 (11 months ago) Permalink

The Cancer Bats?

― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Thursday, 14 June 2012 07:54 (11 months ago) Permalink

Useless ID

― my father will guide me up the stairs to bed (anagram), Thursday, 14 June 2012 08:58 (11 months ago) Permalink

3 weeks pass...

Sunken Foal

― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Thursday, 5 July 2012 10:08 (10 months ago) Permalink

The Dee Dee Dums - Tame Impala - Pond

― owenf, Thursday, 5 July 2012 10:15 (10 months ago) Permalink

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 (10 months ago) Permalink

It is a very pity shun

― gonna send him to outer space, to hug another face (NickB), Thursday, 5 July 2012 10:55 (10 months ago) Permalink

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 (10 months ago) Permalink

2 months pass...

Worriedaboutsatan

― mod night at the oasis (NickB), Tuesday, 11 September 2012 18:22 (8 months ago) Permalink

MellowHype

― Emperor Cos Dashit (Adam Bruneau), Wednesday, 12 September 2012 15:14 (8 months ago) Permalink

Surfer Blood

― spazzmatazz, Wednesday, 12 September 2012 23:27 (8 months ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

Bassnectar

― suggest butt (Pillbox), Thursday, 8 November 2012 08:12 (6 months ago) Permalink

Complicated Universal Cum

― Albert Crampus (NickB), Friday, 9 November 2012 18:02 (6 months ago) Permalink

Hinder

― mod is my co-pilot (Pillbox), Wednesday, 14 November 2012 00:28 (6 months ago) Permalink

Turbo Fruits

― Trip Maker, Wednesday, 14 November 2012 01:00 (6 months ago) Permalink

2 months pass...

The History of Apple Pie

― Jaap and roids (NickB), Wednesday, 30 January 2013 23:36 (3 months ago) Permalink

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 (3 months ago) Permalink

Grimes

― that futterwacken you like is back in style (how's life), Thursday, 31 January 2013 20:18 (3 months ago) Permalink

iamamiwhoami

― miesepeter (alex in mainhattan), Thursday, 31 January 2013 22:42 (3 months ago) Permalink

tUnE-yArDs

― negative people on the internet. (instrumental) (unregistered), Thursday, 31 January 2013 22:43 (3 months ago) Permalink

The Internet

― miesepeter (alex in mainhattan), Friday, 1 February 2013 21:21 (3 months ago) Permalink

The History of Apple Pie

this really might be the worst

― ☕ (diamonddave85), Friday, 1 February 2013 22:34 (3 months ago) Permalink

Foxygen

― miesepeter (alex in mainhattan), Sunday, 3 February 2013 16:14 (3 months ago) Permalink

Mother Love Bone
Blues Control (reminds me of Blues Hammer)

― asthmatic american, Sunday, 3 February 2013 17:04 (3 months ago) Permalink

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 (3 months ago) Permalink

2 weeks pass...

Chelsea Light Moving

― acid in the style of tenpole tudor (NickB), Friday, 1 March 2013 07:46 (2 months ago) Permalink

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 (2 months ago) Permalink

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 (2 months ago) Permalink

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 (2 months ago) Permalink

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 (2 months ago) Permalink

confirmed! http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17766-chelsea-light-moving-chelsea-light-moving/

― Neil S, Friday, 1 March 2013 13:35 (2 months ago) Permalink

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 (2 months ago) Permalink

He should have gone with Mylorrysnotqostli

― acid in the style of tenpole tudor (NickB), Friday, 1 March 2013 13:52 (2 months ago) Permalink

vg+

― Mark G, Friday, 1 March 2013 14:40 (2 months ago) Permalink

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 (2 months ago) Permalink

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 (2 months ago) Permalink

3 weeks pass...

Shampoo Boy

― my father will guide me up the stairs to bed (anagram), Tuesday, 26 March 2013 20:18 (1 month ago) Permalink

Man or Astroman? kinda pisses me off for whatever reason

― global tetrahedron, Tuesday, 26 March 2013 20:21 (1 month ago) Permalink

peanut butter wolf pisses me off. so does dandy warhols.

― Poliopolice, Tuesday, 26 March 2013 21:04 (1 month ago) Permalink

I love em, but Thee Oh Sees is an unfortunate name

― wk, Tuesday, 26 March 2013 21:25 (1 month ago) Permalink

the hold steady

― yellow jacket (spazzmatazz), Wednesday, 27 March 2013 06:04 (1 month ago) Permalink

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 (1 month ago) Permalink

Pert Near Sandstone

― monster_xero, Wednesday, 27 March 2013 15:15 (1 month ago) Permalink

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 (1 month ago) Permalink

Mano Le Tough

― ProAm Chomsky (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Thursday, 28 March 2013 02:02 (1 month ago) Permalink

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