What’s in a Band Name?
When you are trying to pick a band name, it’s easy to underestimate the task. After all, what’s in a name?
Well quite a lot as it happens!
“Led Zeppelin”
“Fleetwood Mac”
“The Rolling Stones”
These names have stood the test of time. But were they good names for bands? Well at the time, yes they were! Now, of course, they roll off the tongue without much thought. But how do you choose a name for your band?
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A friend of mine suggested that he and I get together and do a few gigs. After discussing this for a while, we decided that we should indeed do something! (Neither of us is getting any younger!)
So I went home and thought about the songs that we could do etc. Then I started to consider what we would call ourselves if we were to continue with this idea? I could not for the life of me come up with anything!
How difficult can it be to think of a suitable band name? Very difficult for me!
What Makes A Good Band Name?
I once joined a band that was looking to rename themselves. It took five of us about 2 weeks to come up with the name!
“Graphic”
It was quite a good name (at the time), but not really a suitable name for the band!
Finding a band name that conveys what the band do, and are, is not an easy task! Although I do think nowadays, unusual names have become more acceptable, i.e.
“The Happy Mondays”
“Inspiral Carpets” etc.
- What makes a good name?
- How do you want your band depicted?
- Is the name you have, descriptive of your music and style?
If you were in a Death metal band, would you call yourselves:
“The Postmen”?
Not very indicative of what the band do, is it?
On the other hand, if you were in a trio playing acoustic folk music, would you call yourselves:
“The Nose Dirt Carcass Crunchers”?
The right name can make a big difference to a band. There are no set rules for choosing a name but care needs to be taken when starting out on the road to stardom. You could, of course, call your band by the name of the founder, i.e.
“The Tom Robinson Band”
There’s nothing wrong with that, but I think naming a band like this doesn’t show much consideration for the other musicians in the band. Then again, if you are constantly changing the band (Which some artists do if they move around a lot, or are essentially a solo artist) then this is fine! But if the band is an equal collective then the band name consideration should include a few extra factors.
A Few Factors To Consider
- The type of music you play.
- The audience you’re trying to attract.
- The direction you want the band to move in!
Some names are good and some are OK. If you come up with a good name, you’ll probably know it straight away and it may even smooth the road ahead. When I was very young, a friend told me of a band that he had seen. I don’t remember what he said about the band, but I do remember the name. He only told me the name once and I would be surprised if he knew how good I thought it was! I have remembered the name from well over 30 years ago. They never became famous (as far as I know?) but if any of the members of this band are still around and reading this? Get in touch. The name of this band?
“Crimson Ice”
At the time, I thought this was a great name for a band! But now? Who knows whether it would have stood the test of time?
Band Name Generators
Back to my dilemma. After sitting with a pencil and paper for some days without much inspiration! It occurred to me that what I really needed was a band name generator! Something that would automatically come up with a suitable name! So that’s what I typed into a Google search. And this is what I got back!
No need for me to learn how to code after all! This first site displays 4 or 5 randomly generated names as the page loads. Just click on the refresh button for more names. I found this to be very entertaining! It came up with,
- Buck Edwards and the Midnight Java Quartet
- Headhog
- Five Hamsters and Time
- The Famous Flower Squad
- Handful of Litterbugs (My Favourite)
- Sylvester Marley and the Happy Police
Every time you refresh, it generates 4 or 5 new band names.
This site generates names one at a time with a click of a button. Again, some of these are Fantastic!
- Kings of Animation
- Tiki Receptacle Abuser
- Fat Venom
- Coy Harmless Accountant
This site actually gives you an option to enter a Keyword. I tried to confuse it with 2 words ‘Kipper House’
This is what I got:
- Kipper House Cavity
- Kipper House Accolade
- Kipper House Cave
- Kipper House Substance
- Kipper House Informant of the Def Dancer (Fantastic!)
- Kipper House Detonation
- Perception of the Kipper House Lib
- Lethal Kipper House
Keeping It Light
I’ve been quite flippant in the use of these sites to create a band name, and had a great time too. But it might be just the place to look if you are trying to name or even re-name your band! Try the links above and have a look around. You might just hit the right note!
I’ve decided to combine a few names that were generated and I’ve come up with this as the name for our folk duo…
Buck Edwards and the Hamsters of the Fat Venom Kipper House Informant
I’m sure we’ll be HUGE!
Steve Perrett
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