How important is the band name for you?

[Barking Spiders]

Daft or unreasonable  it maybe but if I'm unfamiliar with  a band's music, the name will often be a deal breaker, a bit like a person's looks. In the long run it's not important but to grab the attention I think it is.  If I see a CD by or gig ad for a band that's called 'The ...' (whatever , although come to think of it 'The ....' is quite good!).  On the flipside, an interesting or unusual name will lead me to check out the music. Now, just before anyone mentions 'The  B' word, I' ll say of course there are always a few exceptions to the rule. From my own CD collection i think there are only around half a dozen bands with 'The'.

 

[PaulWarning]

I think it's a good idea to try and reflect what sort of band you are in the band name, but ultimately like a child or pet name after a while you couldn't imagine it named anything else, I mean there's been some rubbish names for bands in the past that seem ok now, first time I heard The Beatles I didn't think it was a very good name 

[Akio Dāku]

For me a band can be called anything... As a general rule of thumb, everyone gets about 40 - 60 seconds to hook me and I'll try three songs. If one of the three gets me passed the minute  and a half mark, I'm yours.  

[BrunoBass]

As @PaulWarning says you get used to bad band names after a while. Arctic Monkeys is a terrible name, but once I'd heard it said a few times you forget how bad it is. 

it might sound silly, but i can put off a band by the personalities themselves. I used to really like Pearl Jam until i saw an interview with Eddie Vedder, who just came across like a complete knob. I still like their music, to a point, but I can't hear them without thinking 'what a ****'. 

[uk_lefty]

My first band was called Guantanamo. I liked the idea of alluding to a political point without actually making one. I also wanted to get an orange jump suit to gig in... And the singer sounded like he was being waterboarded.

Anyhow, we got our first gig at an all day local music evebt and, good local exposure, purely off our band name. The phone call went "sorry mate we're full up and there's a long reserve list.... You're called what??? Can you do the 7pm slot?"

Edited May 3, 2018 by uk_lefty

[Norris]

We're called The Cheeze

We play 60s & 70 pop, rock and prog mainly

Every Christmas we have a band curry where we discuss what to rename the band. Every year after a load of silly and non-PC suggestions washed down with several pints, we come to the conclusion that we are too well established to change. 

However it is a name that is remembered. We also get a fair bit of "they can't possibility advertise that they play cheesey music, so they must be good" effect

[Jonse]

What's incredibly popular with new, young bands in my area are names that are just 'plural nouns.' Think Slaves, Earls, Arcades, Pines etc. 

Personal taste, but I'm strongly put off by names like these. Not very original in my opinion. 

[Dad3353]

1 hour ago, Norris said:

We're called The Cheeze...

Our band is called 'The Daub'z', which basically means 'Rotten', or Cheezy, Old Hat'. We used to practise at La Daubellière', which was the original inspiration for the name, and it's just stuck. It's never been an obstacle to being asked for, but is rarely (read: never...) correctly spelt on posters, flyers etc, or local press revues. Such is fame. 

[Woodinblack]

As long as I can remember it then no, I am not put off. It is exactly like any other name, it doesn't make sense particularly other than a way for people to remember who you are talking about.

 

[Barking Spiders]

4 hours ago, BrunoBass said:

As @PaulWarning says you get used to bad band names after a while. Arctic Monkeys is a terrible name, but once I'd heard it said a few times you forget how bad it is. 

it might sound silly, but i can put off a band by the personalities themselves. I used to really like Pearl Jam until i saw an interview with Eddie Vedder, who just came across like a complete knob. I still like their music, to a point, but I can't hear them without thinking 'what a ****'. 

 Ain't that the truth.  I've been permanently put off quite a few bands/artists I'd previously liked only to find they were utter tools.. Viz the 'The' thing I have a particular loathing for anything classified as 'indie' after about 1988 and lo and behold  most indie bands, esp the toot derided as 'landfill indie, have had 'The as a prefix e.g. The Cribs, The Kooks, The Automatic,  The Libertines,  The Kaiser Chiefs,  The Wombats, The Fratellis, The Pigeon Defectives,  The Hoosiers, The Libertines (these need repeating), The Enemy, The Maccabees. I rest my case. . Admittedly there were also dire landfill indie bands without a 'The' prefix e.g. Scouting for Girls and Razorlight.

[EliasMooseblaster]

1 hour ago, Jonse said:

What's incredibly popular with new, young bands in my area are names that are just 'plural nouns.' Think Slaves, Earls, Arcades, Pines etc. 

Personal taste, but I'm strongly put off by names like these. Not very original in my opinion. 

I would be so tempted to set up shop as a promoter in your area, just so I could wind them all up by introducing each of the them to the crowd as "The Slaves", "The Arcades", etc.

[EliasMooseblaster]

4 hours ago, BrunoBass said:

As @PaulWarning says you get used to bad band names after a while.

So very true: I adore The Beach Boys' music, but that name has not aged well when you think about it. See also The Beatles...do you think if they'd known how revered they'd become, one of them might have said, "you know what, lads? I don't think we can carry on with this terrible pun for a name..."

Mind you, one of my favourite groups have gone by "Hooverphonic" for over 20 years. Originally they were just called "Hoover." In their defence, English is not their first language.

[Vinny]

Go to the bottom of all my posts to see how quickly you can get over daft band names.

[kyuuga]

Now that we're on this topic I''d like to ask a question...

My band is thinking of naming themselves "Funky Monks". What do you guys think of the name? Does it appeal to you? Keep in mind we don't exactly play only Funk, we kind of blend multiple genres of Rock into our music. Mostly Alternative/Funk Rock though.

[uk_lefty]

Just now, kyuuga said:

Now that we're on this topic I''d like to ask a question...

My band is thinking of naming themselves "Funky Monks". What do you guys think of the name? Does it appeal to you? Keep in mind we don't exactly play only Funk, we kind of blend multiple genres of Rock into our music. Mostly Alternative/Funk Rock though.

That was the name of a Chilli's tribute for a while, remember seeing the poster. Of course if you're not a Chilli's tribute that's fine, you could be a group of monastic scholars who smell badly, in which case nobody can argue with the choice of band name....

[kyuuga]

5 minutes ago, uk_lefty said:

That was the name of a Chilli's tribute for a while, remember seeing the poster. Of course if you're not a Chilli's tribute that's fine, you could be a group of monastic scholars who smell badly, in which case nobody can argue with the choice of band name....

Haha yes it is the name of a Chili Peppers song but we just think the name's amazing for a band. And there's been plenty of bands who've used other bands' songs as their name (Radiohead, The Kooks, etc). 

 

EDIT: But actually that's a good point. Would you be "turned off" if you knew a band named themselves after a song from a band you knew even though they had nothing to do with the band itself (ie: all originals, no covers)?

Edited May 3, 2018 by kyuuga

[uk_lefty]

I had a band called Not the Hoople once. We did two gigs. We were not a Mott the Hoople tribute, it was a silly joke name because one of the local bars had tribute acts with really lazy names that may as well have been "not Queen" and so on. We were an acoustic duo. We did have a Mott the Hoople fan arrive who thanked us at half time before leaving saying "it's good but not what I was expecting". To be fair, it wasn't even good.

[dmccombe7]

My first proper band was called Torquemada after the Monk that started the Spanish Inquisition. Not that i knew that before then but quite liked it. Many people asked where the name came from tho. That was circa 1980 playing rock and prog covers.

Other band names

Firestorm (metal covers of course),

Stormbringer (Deep Purple related covers),

Mind Sculpture (Originals Prog band),

George's Kitchen (singers dog called George and he was kept in Kitchen when he was out),

Gypsies Kiss (no idea where that name came from as band had been playing good few years before i joined) 

The Monday Club (we rehearsed on a Monday night -  blues funk based rock band)

Hot Love (T.Rex / 70's covers band)

Several others over the years i've forgotten so that says a lot for the names.   

I like the name to try and relate to the style of music but its not always possible.

Dave

[T-Bay]

It needs to be memorable and easy to search for, I love an Irish punk band called The touts, try finding tickets for them! It’s not the best thought out name in the world.

[PaulWarning]

31 minutes ago, uk_lefty said:

I had a band called Not the Hoople once. We did two gigs. We were not a Mott the Hoople tribute, it was a silly joke name because one of the local bars had tribute acts with really lazy names that may as well have been "not Queen" and so on. We were an acoustic duo. We did have a Mott the Hoople fan arrive who thanked us at half time before leaving saying "it's good but not what I was expecting". To be fair, it wasn't even good.

I once sold a bass hard case to a guy, and we got chatting "What's the name of your band then" says I "ZZ Birmingham" came the reply,  "Oh, ZZ Top tribute?" I replied  "No" he says "We don't do any ZZ Top songs and we're not from Birmingham" 

Wonder if he's on here?

[chris_b]

It was a long time ago, but I've been in bands whose names were so awful that I denied I was in them.

I spent 10 years in a cover band with a name so appallingly cheesy that I (and the rest of the guys, who hated it as well) just referred to it as "Steve's band", the name of the band leader. It was a busy band but that name!!

A good names encapsulate so much, they just work on all levels. Musicians will hate bad names but they usually don't matter to the public.

[Frank Blank]

I was in a thrash band for years and we could never settle on a name we all liked and we went out under a compromise moniker that I disliked but what the hey. We were discussing a name during a lull in a rehearsal and our drummer crossed his arms and said "Why don't we just call the band Scotland, no explanations, just Scotland", I loved the idea but singer and guitarist quashed it. I wish we'd pushed a bit harder for it, just for the incongruity.

[uk_lefty]

I keep trying to start an INXS tribute band named Stranglew4nk, some right weirdos come to audition 

Edited May 3, 2018 by uk_lefty

[Woodinblack]

1 hour ago, kyuuga said:

My band is thinking of naming themselves "Funky Monks". What do you guys think of the name? Does it appeal to you? 

I would expect it to be a Chillis tribute band or at least to do quite a lot of Chillis stuff.

[BreadBin]

31 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

I would expect it to be a Chillis band or at least to do quite a lot of Chillis stuff.

Agreed, Funky Monks is the name of this DVD...