Bands that are victims of having a name that allowed them to be pre-judged and dismissed by people before being even listened to...

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Kitchens Of Distinction
Disco Inferno
Supreme Dicks

― Dom iNut (donut), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 09:57 (twenty years ago)

...or any band name that uses a Ska pun.

― Dom iNut (donut), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 09:58 (twenty years ago)

Like Huska Du?

― NickB (NickB), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 10:01 (twenty years ago)

Echo & The Bunnymen

― Harrison Barr (Petar), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 12:51 (twenty years ago)

Dave Matthews Band

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 12:52 (twenty years ago)

The Jesus and Mary Chain.

― She's In Parties (kate), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 13:27 (twenty years ago)

"Severed Heads"
Even though they are, in reality, a sort of fruity avant-synthpop...the name sounds so...so...third rate death metal.

"Swans"
You'd think they'd be some kind of folky girl group.
Then Michael Gira starts making his vomiting reptile noises for vocals while playing his "Sounds Effects of Heavy Industry" album at half-speed.

― Lord Custos Omicron (Lord Custos Omicron), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 13:29 (twenty years ago)

Mr. Blobby
Teletubbies
Bob The Builder

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 13:32 (twenty years ago)

sum 41 != m83 etc

― AaronK (AaronK), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 13:47 (twenty years ago)

Some suggestions here, or here.

― brittle-lemon (brittle-lemon), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 13:56 (twenty years ago)

Anal Cunt

― Abu Hamster (noodle vague), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 13:59 (twenty years ago)

Butthole Surfers

― Edward III (edward iii), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 14:11 (twenty years ago)

hoobastank. they must've known they had it coming, surely.

― weekly handle change (haitch), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 14:16 (twenty years ago)

artic monkeys?

― Stephen C (ihope), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 14:17 (twenty years ago)

The Beach Boys are perhaps the penultimate example. (Though the Pendletones wouldn't have been much better - sounds like a third-rate doowop group.)

― mike a, Wednesday, 8 February 2006 14:23 (twenty years ago)

J&MC oh tee em. I spent most of my teens assuming they were like Judas Priest and/or Jane's Addiction.

― Mike W (caek), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 14:23 (twenty years ago)

The Beach Boys are perhaps the penultimate example

I prejudge people who misuse the word penultimate. I think they all need to look it up.

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 14:45 (twenty years ago)

the thrills
destroyer

― Vintage Latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 14:46 (twenty years ago)

broken social scene - sounds like some fucking welsh emo band.

― Vintage Latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 14:47 (twenty years ago)

The Beach Boys are perhaps the penultimate example

I prejudge people who misuse the word penultimate

that's a pet peeve of mine too. wait, now I need to look up pet peeve to make sure I used that correctly.

― ziti sanskrit (sanskrit), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 14:50 (twenty years ago)

TIJUANA CARAVAN

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 15:14 (twenty years ago)

And You Will Know Us...
Clap Your Hands...
I Love You But I've...

Any band with more than, say, three words in its name I immediately assume will be a third-rate emo band. However, having heard the above bands, I can now dismiss them based on their boring music.

― js (honestengine), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 15:52 (twenty years ago)

Jackie O Motherfucker

So you're not a Pussy Galore type rawk act?

― senseiDancer (sexyDancer), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 15:57 (twenty years ago)

Gay Dad

― Vintage Latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 15:58 (twenty years ago)

i mean, they sound like they're going to be good but they're not.

― Vintage Latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 15:59 (twenty years ago)

Embrace.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 16:04 (twenty years ago)

Nick, did you just pre-empt Dog Latin's post?

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 16:09 (twenty years ago)

"Electroclash"

― Eppy (Eppy), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 16:10 (twenty years ago)

Weakling

― Vintage Latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 16:11 (twenty years ago)

Maybe by penultimate, Mike meant that they are the second to last band you'd ever think of that would have this problem.
Misusing penultimate is a pet ~~sounds~~peeve of mine too.

― Dave will do (dave225.3), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 16:12 (twenty years ago)

Crazy Penis
Animal Collective

― actionjackson, Wednesday, 8 February 2006 16:58 (twenty years ago)

animal collective sound exactly like their name. although i suppose the name does evoke a certain sense of tweeness that might be undeserved.

― Vintage Latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 17:10 (twenty years ago)

The one band that unfairly gets dismissed as a joke band due to their unfortunate name is the Ass Ponys.

Oddly enough, they're one of the more depressing and sad bands around.

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 17:14 (twenty years ago)

yes

― telos, Wednesday, 8 February 2006 17:16 (twenty years ago)

The Dining Rooms

― Cliftonb, Wednesday, 8 February 2006 17:17 (twenty years ago)

I've never listened to architecture in helsinki for that very reason.

― Particle Ranger (particle ranger), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 17:19 (twenty years ago)

People automatically assume that any post-'80s band with "funk" in their name are awful. 'Course, they're probably right.

(Me, I don't hate the misuse of "penultimate" nearly as much as "jive/jibe" or "could/couldn't care less" confusion. Arrghh!)

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 17:37 (twenty years ago)

Broken Social Scene

― Thea (Thea), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 17:58 (twenty years ago)

whoops, shoulda read closer

― Thea (Thea), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 17:59 (twenty years ago)

how about Platinum Pied Pipers

― Thea (Thea), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 18:01 (twenty years ago)

I think the new-wave-of-hippie-jam wins this hands down:

String Cheese Incident, Col. Hamptons Aquarium Rescue Unit, etc.

― John Justen (johnjusten), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 18:06 (twenty years ago)

selfish cunt

― mark e (mark e), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 18:16 (twenty years ago)

Um, but bands like SCI are fairly prejudged, so I feel like they don't count.

― Eppy (Eppy), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 18:19 (twenty years ago)

Flying Burrito Brothers

― polyphonic (polyphonic), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 18:20 (twenty years ago)

Amusement Parks on Fire
New Young Pony Club

band with a terrible name that is also terrible:
Mates of State.

awful.

― Cameron Octigan (Cameron Octigan), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 18:24 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, I guess having "victims" in the question does mean that it's unfair. I should save my choices for a "Thanks for the warning" thread.

BTW, Mark, is "selfish cunt" a band name, or have I somehow wronged you?

― John Justen (johnjusten), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 18:26 (twenty years ago)

tis indeed a band name.

london media were all over them a couple of years ago. i never felt the urge to track anything down.

― mark e (mark e), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 18:35 (twenty years ago)

btw : as if anyone on ILM would wrong me, and even if they had i probably wouldn't get it.

proof :

http://eil.com/shop/extsearch.asp?DiscTitle=britain-is-shit

― mark e (mark e), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 18:38 (twenty years ago)

Wow. Looks awful, in some sort of co-opted Crass way.

― John Justen (johnjusten), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 18:42 (twenty years ago)

Foetus does this all the time, also, but in a very intentional way. I'm quite sure that Steroid Maximus and Manorexia were not named with the assistance of a branding team. For years I was involved in a showdown with one of the local record stores where I kept refiling Scraping Foetus off the Wheel-Nail out of the EXTREME METAL section. Every week, they would undo my helpful efforts, and probably just thought I was being a huge dick.

― John Justen (johnjusten), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 18:47 (twenty years ago)

foetus's name was exactly why i found out about him. how could any angest filled 16 year old not be able to resist such names as 'all nude foetus revue'

― mark e (mark e), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 18:49 (twenty years ago)

Why has nobody mentioned the obvious yet?

FUCK

― LoneNut, Wednesday, 8 February 2006 18:49 (twenty years ago)

Test Icicles
The Queers
Thunderbirds are Now!

― pinder (pinder), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 18:52 (twenty years ago)

Starsailor to thread

― Paul (scifisoul), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 18:55 (twenty years ago)

...but it's their own fault for using that name

― Paul (scifisoul), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 18:56 (twenty years ago)

Fat Truckers

― Diego Valladolid (dvalladt), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 18:57 (twenty years ago)

Sir Douglas Quintet

― Chairman Doinel (Charles McCain), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 19:18 (twenty years ago)

Kitchens Of Distinction
Disco Inferno
Supreme Dicks

by "people" you mean like the 5 or so people who heard of 'em, right donut? not, like, the general public.

speaking of which:

general public

― hstencil (hstencil), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 19:29 (twenty years ago)

Shed Seven
Dandy Warhols
Elbow

― stu (stu), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 19:49 (twenty years ago)

by "people" you mean like the 5 or so people who heard of 'em, right donut? not, like, the general public.

Yes.

― Dom iNut (donut), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 21:07 (twenty years ago)

The public counts as well, since they consist of more than 5 people.

― Dom iNut (donut), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 21:08 (twenty years ago)

...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Wednesday, 8 February 2006 21:12 (twenty years ago)

Hoobastank? Theybastank!

― Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 21:12 (twenty years ago)

Dogs Die in Hot Cars

― pinder (pinder), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 22:53 (twenty years ago)

animal collective sound exactly like their name

Really? I would assume they either sound like Phish or that they're a party-funk campus band.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 22:58 (twenty years ago)

Limp Bizkit

― musically (musically), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 23:00 (twenty years ago)

Space Negros. I didn't expect them to sound like a Birdsongs of the Mezosoic novelty sideband (yet they are!)

― js (honestengine), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 23:02 (twenty years ago)

The Raveonettes

― dmun drive-in (dmun), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 23:23 (twenty years ago)

Dr Dog
The Be Good Tanyas

uggh

― Euler (Euler), Wednesday, 8 February 2006 23:42 (twenty years ago)

Death Cab for Cutie!!!!

― JB Young, Thursday, 9 February 2006 01:20 (twenty years ago)

Death cab agreed.

Dismemberment Plan has the same sort of incorrect connotations, I think.

― John Justen (johnjusten), Thursday, 9 February 2006 01:37 (twenty years ago)

The Negro Problem

― Sym Sym (sym), Thursday, 9 February 2006 02:19 (twenty years ago)

Rapeman to thread.

― sleeve (sleeve), Thursday, 9 February 2006 02:19 (twenty years ago)

The Damned

The Arctic Monkeys (My personal pick so far)

― Jingo, Thursday, 9 February 2006 03:15 (twenty years ago)

For an old one: Gary "US" Bonds.

― js (honestengine), Thursday, 9 February 2006 04:36 (twenty years ago)

five years pass...

Bark Psychosis certainly outgrew their name which was coined by a couple of prodigious adolescents and is way too garage-goth for the music they wound up playing.
Live Skull is a bandname that has similar cod-cheapo-schlock-horror garage goth associations which don't really fit what the band was about. I still like Positraction anyway.
Not sure what associations I'd make to the name The Birthday Party if I wasn't as immersed in history of what the band means to me.

― Stevolende, Tuesday, 31 January 2012 11:17 (fourteen years ago)

This is an interesting take on things re: Bands who outgrew their names.

The Beach Boys being a key example.

― I want your nose, your shoes and your unicycle (dog latin), Tuesday, 31 January 2012 11:19 (fourteen years ago)

band : skull snaps

album cover :

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1e/SkullSnaps.jpg

saw this in the racks last year.

was very surprised to find out that its very good 70s soul-n-funk album as opposed to some barrel scraping metal dirge

― mark e, Tuesday, 31 January 2012 11:22 (fourteen years ago)

I think it was Max Cavalera who said he enjoyed misleading titles: "Roots Bloody Roots" sounding like a reggae album, and Soulfly etc...

― I want your nose, your shoes and your unicycle (dog latin), Tuesday, 31 January 2012 11:26 (fourteen years ago)

bombay bicycle club

― dan138zig (Durrr Durrr Durrrrrr), Tuesday, 31 January 2012 11:37 (fourteen years ago)

yeah, every time anyone asks me to check those guys out, my brain starts shutting down.

― I want your nose, your shoes and your unicycle (dog latin), Tuesday, 31 January 2012 11:40 (fourteen years ago)

BombBicClub TS: The sound that the band name suggests vs what they actually sound like

― Mark G, Tuesday, 31 January 2012 11:45 (fourteen years ago)

Depeche Mode.

― โตเกียวเหมียวเหมียว aka Don Nots (Mount Cleaners) (Mount Cleaners), Tuesday, 31 January 2012 11:50 (fourteen years ago)

10,000 Maniacs

― ban this sick stunt (anagram), Tuesday, 31 January 2012 12:02 (fourteen years ago)

Two Lights

― good luck in your pyramid (Neil S), Tuesday, 31 January 2012 13:40 (fourteen years ago)

Shit Robot is pretty good but I feel bad listening to him. Just because I don't think any artist should refer to themselves as "shit".

― โตเกียวเหมียวเหมียว aka Don Nots (Mount Cleaners) (Mount Cleaners), Tuesday, 31 January 2012 14:09 (fourteen years ago)

This is an interesting take on things re: Bands who outgrew their names.
The Beach Boys being a key example.

yeah but I don't think they'd sell many records as "The Beach Guys"

― frogs you are the dumbest asshole (frogbs), Tuesday, 31 January 2012 14:18 (fourteen years ago)

Even less as The Beach Weirdoes

― Charles Kennedy Jumped Up, He Called 'Oh No'. (Tom D.), Tuesday, 31 January 2012 14:20 (fourteen years ago)

But more as "The Beach Men!"

― Mark G, Tuesday, 31 January 2012 14:22 (fourteen years ago)

The Charles Manson Five

― good luck in your pyramid (Neil S), Tuesday, 31 January 2012 14:27 (fourteen years ago)

tUnE-YaRdS

― kornrulez6969, Tuesday, 31 January 2012 15:52 (fourteen years ago)

An ex of mine was in a band called Giant Sucking Sound. I told him it was a bad idea to give critics such an easy insult. (POP CRITICS IN LAZINESS NON-SHOCKER!!)

― stop me before i eat again (j.lu), Tuesday, 31 January 2012 16:50 (fourteen years ago)

xp I'd also put fIREHOSE on that list, it just breaks my brain

― frogs you are the dumbest asshole (frogbs), Tuesday, 31 January 2012 16:50 (fourteen years ago)

for me at least, Ween

― puff puff post (uh oh I'm having a fantasy), Tuesday, 31 January 2012 16:57 (fourteen years ago)

up until a few days ago I had never listened to ween, now I do

― puff puff post (uh oh I'm having a fantasy), Tuesday, 31 January 2012 16:57 (fourteen years ago)

I never minded the name Ween, for me it was just the fact that their name was close to Weezer so I'd subconsciously mix them up

― frogs you are the dumbest asshole (frogbs), Tuesday, 31 January 2012 17:06 (fourteen years ago)

Personal and the Pizzas

― Literal Facepalms (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 31 January 2012 18:11 (fourteen years ago)

Cat Power
Eagles of Death Metal
Hella
Passion Pit
The Sea and Cake
Young Marble Giants

― SNEEZED GOING DOWN STEPS, PAIN WHEN PUTTING SOCKS ON (Deric W. Haircare), Tuesday, 31 January 2012 19:43 (fourteen years ago)

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