Off-Putting Band Names

[Rev+]

It's no surprise that Brick Supply got nowhere, even with Dubstar covering their best song.

Cop Shoot Cop were fantastic - but you'd assume they were edgy wanklords with that name.

Alright, you can see where this is going.

[Brundle-Fly]

Cop Shoot Cop were fantastic - but you'd assume they were edgy wanklords with that name.

Maybe, if you called your band that now. Their name was inspired by both the band members' shared dislike of police officers, and a newspaper headline about a botched police raid, reading "'Cop Shot Cop" or "Cop Shoots Cop". This is also the perpetual cycle of a heroin addict: Cop (acquire heroin), Shoot (consume heroin), Cop (acquire more heroin), etc.

[samadriel]

The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band would be more pleasant to contemplate if their band name didn't have "dog doo" in it.

[Nice Relaxing Poo]

Not a band but Keith Sweat is a terrible name and it's not even a stage name. Have a shower you mucky bugger!


Jay Reatard is another. That name probably sounded great when he came up with it aged 15.

[Absorb the anus burn]

The Grodeck Whipperjenny.

Fucking ugh.

[famethrowa]

I think the worst name is Sad Cafe, sounds totally not fun, drab and a bunch of saddos. Not inclined to find out.

[Brundle-Fly]

King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard. A fine psyche outfit but have lumbered themselves with a name that even a hairy, long-sleeved tie-dye shirt-wearing, pot-smoking wacky student band from Kidderminster in 1989 would baulk at adopting.

[Head Gardener]

[Pauline Walnuts]

What's wrong with Morbid Angel?

[jobotic]

Art Phag were great. I wanna play golf!

[Fr.Bigley]

Mumford and sons. Cunts
London grammar. Cunts

[BeardFaceMan]

Oingo Boingo
Half Man Half Biscuit

[Levi]

Helmet. Urgh.

[Brundle-Fly]

Most bands with 'Band' in the name.

[Chedney Honks]

Animal Collective

[idunnosomename]

Theres a prog tech death bsnd called Slice the Cake that everyone raves about but man that is an offputting name. I'd have got round to checking them out ages ago if they had a sensible name like GRAVERAPER or something

What's wrong with Morbid Angel?

Illud Divinum Insanus

[famethrowa]

NunSlaughter
NunsLaughter

not a bad one, that

[famethrowa]

There was a 70s band I once read a review of, their name was something like "The Ben Robespierre and Jerry Puffinfuff Band", of course it was bland wallpaper jazz fusion, I wish I could remember it's true hubris and awfulness.

[sevendaughters]

trying to keep this to bands whose music I actually like or own some of

- Virgin Prunes. Doesn't really conjure up experimental goth at all.
- Rapeman. The whole era of situationist offensive names hasn't aged well, really.

A lot of my least favourites were local bands who never got anywhere partly because their names were either 'well what is that?' or noncommittal 'humour' and as such seemed very, well, local band - Enuff Squirrel, Melted Cat, Crouch Mog, Manisha Tank*, Former Babies, Dirty Circus, Uncle Rotter.

*yes like the newsreader

[Egyptian Feast]

Gutted to find there's no Wall Of Smegma videos on YouTube. Don't look for it.

The only Steve Albini project I haven't yet checked out is Rapeman. It wouldn't stop me from listening to their album if I had a copy, but I'm not going to put any effort into finding it.
(Edit: Already mentioned.)

I know it's a Goons reference, but Ned's Atomic Dustbin is a hugely off-putting name. It just makes them sound like a bunch of unfunny twats who'd make you rue the day you ever watched Monty Python and The Holy Grail.

[kalowski]

The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band would be more pleasant to contemplate if their band name didn't have "dog doo" in it.

It's a play on Dada. They were Dadaists.

[kalowski]

The Grodeck Whipperjenny.

Fucking ugh.

Stupid name, agreed. But cool that they did an album with James Brown. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sho_Is_Funky_Down_Here

[non capisco]

Never heard a note of their music and also no idea what the levels of irony at play were but Does It Offend You, Yeah? is the most obnoxious, Hoxton in 2002, trust fund cocaine dustbin tosser sounding name for a band possible.

[Egyptian Feast]

Christ, I forgot about them. That's the worst band name that isn't overtly unpleasant or ungoogleable. I've never been inspired to listen to anything by them either, and usually curiousity gets the better of me (I instantly - and unwisely - searched Wall Of Smegma on YouTube earlier, after all) so it is a truly off-putting name.

[Chriddof]

- Rapeman. The whole era of situationist offensive names hasn't aged well, really.

John Peel refused to ever say their name on the air, apparently, even though he did play their records. He'd announce them as "Steve Albini's new regrettably named band" or some such.

I've never bothered listening to Virgin Prunes because of their name - I always thought they were some standard indie band rather than experimental goth.

To follow up what kalowski said, the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band were originally known as The Bonzo Dog Dada Band. It's claimed they renamed themselves to that poo pun because they got tired of having to explain what Dada was. Eventually they renamed themselves again as just The Bonzo Dog Band by the time of their third album, though the second name seems to have stuck.

In retrospect that trend of one word band names in the 90s could be pretty bad at times, especially when Britpop came along:

• Smaller (who featured Digsy of Oasis's "Digsy's Dinner" fame)
• Salad (just nothingy)
• Bawl (about whom I can remember nothing else except a magazine saying that the very thin frontman "should eat a cheeseburger")
• ...and the following was a pop group rather than a rock / indie / whatever band, but: Clock.

As for more modern bands, there was a recent and now split up group from Manchester (I think?) who were called Crywank.

[Chriddof]

Forgot to mention that one particularly bad name I remember hearing was some 90s American hippy-ish jam band called Quiver Of Jasper. Such a horrid collection of words, though not as infuriating as "Does It Offend You, Yeah?", as previously mentioned. I've never listened to a note of their music either.

[Pauline Walnuts]

Anything with Jesus in the name, anything anti/edgy New Atheism is actually worse than something Pro.

I like Joy Division/New Order, but these day's I think I'd give it a miss just by judging by the cover names. Still, I guess it's not 1978 any more is it?

Anything with too much effin' and jeffin' Fuck Buttons? More like Fuck Off Fuck Buttons. Bunch o' tryhards.

_{I've never heard them. They could be great, I dunno}

[BeardFaceMan]

Does It Offend You, Yeah? are named after a David Brent quote. Not that it makes it any better, it's still a fucking awful name.

[turnstyle]

I couldn't tell you anything about their music, but I am certain that the band Car Seat Headrest should win a prize for the least amount of time thinking up their name.

Just totally banal and bland, I can only assume the band formed in the back of a taxi and needed a name quick sharpish.

[Pauline Walnuts]

Does It Offend You, Yeah? are named after a David Brent quote. Not that it makes it any better, it's still a fucking awful name.

They look exactly how you'd imagine they'd look, yeah?