Band Names... How To Pick One!

[binky_bass]

Hi all,

 

I've started a new project and we've been racking our brains for the last week or so as to a decent band name. Soooooooo many of the names we've thought of (some pretty obscure!) seem to all have been taken. 

 

How did you pick your band name? Did it just 'come' to you or did you have to properly think about it? 

 

Any suggestions are also welcome! We're going for an 80s - 90s old skool metal vibe (not covers).

 

Ta!

[tauzero]

I was watching Pointless earlier on, and in the final the competitors came up with three words - Dogs, Under, and Sentimental. I commented to Mrs Zero that "Sentimental Underdogs" would be quite a good name for a band.

[TheLowDown]

Something unusual or memorable like Plucked Chicken Frenzy, or something

Edited August 17, 2022 by TheLowDown

[Nail Soup]

Make it Google-able… for example if you call the band , say, Chicken Soup people may find recipes when googling for it and not your band. 
Gorkys Zygotic Myncy would not have that issue.

[Dad3353]

7 minutes ago, Nail Soup said:

Make it Google-able… for example if you call the band , say, Chicken Soup people may find recipes when googling for it and not your band. 
Gorkys Zygotic Myncy would not have that issue.

 

From Wikipedia ...

[skankdelvar]

Two ways of doing this:

 

1. Make something up at random and stick with it
    
2. Rack your (collective) brains for months over long-lists, short-lists, genre compatibility, search the web to see if it's already being used by someone in Toronto or Guadeloupe, test it on friends, ask people on the internet, try it out using different fonts, shape it into a logo then give up and go with approach #1

[toneknob]

Is it your band? Make a unilateral decision, preferably before hiring any band members. 

Otherwise it'll be endless band names list hell and the dreaded vote-off 

 

[binky_bass]

5 minutes ago, toneknob said:

Is it your band? Make a unilateral decision, preferably before hiring any band members. 

Otherwise it'll be endless band names list hell and the dreaded vote-off 

 

Any band where its 'someone's' band isn't a band for me! 

 

My main project (Art Of Rebellion) is a totally collaborative effort, as is this new project. 

 

Making unilateral decisions in a band (to me) is a recipe for disfunction. 

[SteveXFR]

We were suggesting names in our WhatsApp group for weeks and getting nowhere then at a rehearsal I insisted we decided on a name and all agreed on Demolition Theory. 

My favourite that we rejected was Six Foot Shovel. Feel free to take it.

[Norris]

We came up with a great one the other night - Pauline and the Appalling Tarpaulins

 

Inspired by a cheap pool table cover in the pub

[binky_bass]

Like a strike of lightning, it has come to me!

 

Along with a quickly smashed together first album cover! 😂

 

[bass_dinger]

18 minutes ago, binky_bass said:

Like a strike of lightning, it has come to me!

 

Along with a quickly smashed together first album cover! 😂

 

 

That's the one. 

 

Job done.

 

 

 

 

[Newfoundfreedom]

The problem is, if you get creative with spelling to try and come up with something unique, you spend the next X amount of years not only telling people your band's name, but having to explain how to spell it. 

[binky_bass]

1 minute ago, Newfoundfreedom said:

The problem is, if you get creative with spelling to try and come up with something unique, you spend the next X amount of years not only telling people your band's name, but having to explain how to spell it. 

Yeah, I do get that and it is a consideration for sure. It's a balance between what's used and what isn't and what adds to the vibe of the band. We might not settle of TerrorPyn but I like it as a temporary name at the least!

[Newfoundfreedom]

I have a list of potential band names as long as my arm. Like you, my current band spent weeks of back and forth before we came up with a name. So now ever time something pops up in general conversation that sounds like it could make up a good band name I write it down just in case. Although as you said, it's amazing how many of them are already taken, even when you think you're being obscure. 

[Buddster]

Trouble is, everything sounds silly or naff to start with, even famous bands sound silly in the cold light of day. 

We went through 100s and I ended up using my favourite childhood game for inspiration 

[Newfoundfreedom]

The most recent one I wrote down was Buxom Struts 

[Shaggy]

In 45 years of being in bands, every single one has had a really cr@p name.   I’m just resigned to it now.........☹️

 

[T-Bay]

Unique but also not something that kills searches. There are a couple of bands I love that are hard to keep track of, The Touts from Northern Ireland being one of them. Type The touts in Google and you will understand what I mean I mean. I am in two bands. One band name was from our drummer nd it’s brilliant and suits us perfectly, the other is a bit naff but I was outvoted.

[NancyJohnson]

Someone might find this interesting.

 

Nancy Johnson.  Came from a photograph by Gregory Crewdson.  The name was on a little pile of prescription canisters.

 

The Irvines Are Back.  On the Kongfrontation ride at Universal, there was a wall with a load of graffiti on it (I think Universal encouraged visitors to add their own). About ten feet above the general stuff someone had written The Irvines Are Back.

 

The Dags.  School band, late 70s Guitarist was watching documentary on Aussie sheep farming.  Pre-shearing, guy de-dags the sheep by running the clippers round the animals rear end.

 

Last Three Standing.  We were originally a five piece punky band.  Two left.

 

Oh, there's been tons of others.  96 Decibels (from a Mott the Hoople song).  The Skirts.  Individual Cheese Portions.

 

Punctual If Nothing Else.  Another band late addition to a bill, same name.  Somewhere in Basingstoke.  We got there early, soundchecked and one of the staff said we were terrible, but punctual if nothing else.

[NancyJohnson]

Brother Toboggan.  We thought that was hilarious.

[oldslapper]

The Symbollix. A trio. I was Sym and the other two were…well, not that good. 
 

 

[naxos10]

Apparently the original line up of the band were struggling to find a name then one of the members got sent on an errand to the old Lucas car parts factory ìn Birmingham. When they next met up again he said while driving round he came a cross a road sign and thought it would make a good name so they became - Garrison Lane. This was way way before Peaky Blinders made the road famous.

 

The only other name we went under during changes in the lineup was  The Leg Ends.

[miles'tone]

As a Welsh person I find watching Welsh interviews with the English auto generated captions on utterly hilarious. I've often thought that if I ever need a new band name then that's where I'll find one. Try it! 😄

 

For example...

 

 

 

Edited August 18, 2022 by miles'tone

[Crusoe]

12 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

 

From Wikipedia ...

I had never looked into their name and always thought that the Gorky bit was from Maxim Gorky, the writer; the Zygotic bit I thought might have been Welsh for 'psychotic' and Mynci I guessed correctly as 'monkey'