Worst band names

[Staggerlee]

@Ludovic

My second vote’s for Incubus. Now, it’s not a bad name. In fact, it’s a pretty freakin good name. But I hate the fact that they have it and they suck.

So they should be called Succubus, then?

[ZipperJJ]

The String Cheese Incident

[OneCentStamp]

@MrDibble

Any band that uses the Heavy Metal umlaut that isn’t Blue Öyster Cult.

Hey, Mr. Dibble, I have Mötörhead holding for you on Line 1. They want to kill you.

My picks:
Revolting Cocks
Anal Cunt
Metallica (sorry guys)

[I_m_No_Saint]

Queens of the Stone Age.

[BobLibDem]

There was that Columbus band called The Dead Schembechlers, but they did show some class and disband immediately after Bo died.

[thelurkinghorror]

Pretty much any one or even two-word band name makes me roll my eyes. I’m pretty sure you aren’t the first band to call yourself “Defenestration” or “Fuzzbox.”

[Marley23]

Hoobastank always gets my vote. And for some reason, The Sea and Cake pisses me off - maybe because when I heard the name, I thought it was supposed to be meaningful and symbolic. Apparently just a misprint or mis-hearing or something.

[NailBunny]

I really like a lot of the band names listed here. However, Hoobastank makes me a little nauseous everytime I hear it. What in god’s name do you have to be thinking to decide that’s a good choice? I mean, their music sucks, but I’d be ambivalent toward them if it weren’t for their suckass name. As it is, I despise them.

And…I love their music, but Butthole Surfers is pretty bad.

[ShadowFacts]

@Mayo Speaks!

The Who

Mind your tongue, heathen!

I nominate Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. ::hurl::

Looks like Hoobastank is running away with it, though…

[OneCentStamp]

@ShadowFacts

I nominate Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. ::hurl::

I always thought it was a great name. Is it that you don’t recognize the film reference, or that you recognize it and still think it’s lame?

[Thudlow_Boink]

@williamweigand

@Mosier

Purposeful wrong spelling bothers me. Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park are the worst offenders, but there’s a nearly endless list of band names that substitute Z for S or do some other stupid creative spelling bullshit.

I hope you’re not including The Beatles in this.

I was gonna say: This is hardly a new phenomenon (The Beatles, The Monkees, Led Zeppelin, etc.)

[WordMan]

@Mosier

Purposeful wrong spelling bothers me. Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park are the worst offenders, but there’s a nearly endless list of band names that substitute Z for S or do some other stupid creative spelling bullshit.

@williamweigand

I hope you’re not including The Beatles in this.

Two points:

• To my knowledge, the Beatles are the ones who popularized purposeful wrong spelling, only to see it perpetuated. If the band is good, the familiar-yet-different appeal of a purposely misspelled name is a strong “brand.”

• However, I would nominate The Beatles and Led Zeppelin to this list. Most of the other nominees - e.g., Hoobastank, etc. - do, in fact suck. The Beatles are my favorite band of all time and Zep is up there, too - but take away the brilliant songs and personalities, the layers of legend and the imprint that each name has on our collective consciousness and both are pretty stupid.

Of all the various insect names - The Crickets, The Yellowjackets, Adam and the Ants, etc. - “the beetles” doesn’t have nearly the same pop - at least Crickets are musical insects and Jiminy Cricket was a popular character. “Beetles” as a word just sounds like…well, bugs.

And Led Zeppelin was an inside joke and has a big, Germanic, heavy sound to it (okay Zeppelins were airships, but the Led part was heavy) - but in basic type and sound, is not much different than Linkin Park or Limp Biskit. It’s just that Zep is one of the greatest bands of all time and so they’re able to rock their silly name just fine - the other two are just stupid names.

I agree with another earlier poster who pointed out Metallica - another case of a band transcending their stupid name with great music…

[fishbicycle]

Gay Bikers On Acid.

The name of this Canadian group upset both homosexuals and motorcyclists to the extent that they had to change the spelling of their name and have their album artwork changed to read “Gaye Bykers On Acid.”

[HoboStew]

Funny thing is a lot of bands with bad names I like.

I agree with:
Neutral Milk Hotel
Queens of the Stone Age
!!!
Death Cab For Cutie
Death From Above 1979
I’ll add Yo La Tengo to the list. Totally stupid name, totally misleading. I refused to listen to them at first because of their name, which is a shame because they are one of the best bands out there. (& yes I know the story behind it and its still stupid)

[BwanaBob]

Stereolab

[Marley23]

@HoboStew

I’ll add Yo La Tengo to the list. Totally stupid name, totally misleading.

Misleading how? Because it’s Spanish?

[VinylTurnip]

@thelurkinghorror

Pretty much any one or even two-word band name makes me roll my eyes. I’m pretty sure you aren’t the first band to call yourself “Defenestration” or “Fuzzbox.”

Yes, but perhaps “Fuzzbox_47,” “Myfuzzbox,” or “Fuzzboxonline” are still available.

[Mahna_Mahna]

Ditto also on Hoobastank. The name is probably the only thing that sounds worse than their music.

Also, band names that I can’t figure out how to pronounce at first glance:
!!! (chk chk chk… good band, crappy name)
MSTRKRFT (I pronounce this one as “pretentious wanks”, actually)
CKY

Oh, and IDM musicians seem to have a tradition for picking awful names:
Venetian Snares
Prefuse 73
Boards of Canada
Plaid

[ArizonaTeach]

@MrDibble

Any band that uses the Heavy Metal umlaut that isn’t Blue Öyster Cult.

Wrong.

[Great_Dave]

@fishbicycle

Gay Bikers On Acid.

The name of this Canadian group upset both homosexuals and motorcyclists to the extent that they had to change the spelling of their name and have their album artwork changed to read “Gaye Bykers On Acid.”

The president of a college around here might take offense…