… Godspeed You! Black Emperor
It just is. I have a rare day off work. My family are out and I am stuck in the house waiting for a delivery and taking advantage of the chance to play music that my wife and children all hate. And as I listen to “Storm” from “Lift Yr Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven” all I can think is “This is not simply a monumental tune, I literally can’t think of a better band name than Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Even the exclamation mark is perfect.”
But, I could be wrong…
I’m glad you mention the exclamation mark because I love the name but hate the way they keep moving the exclamation mark.
Ultravox! lost a lot when they removed theirs. John Foxx, mainly.
The best band name ever is Abbatoir, an Australian band who massacred ABBA songs in the 80s
Apart from that, my daughter had a short lived band called The Fuck Yeahs
Whither Severed Head and the Neckfuckers?
I’ve always been very fond of Two Lone Swordsmen.
I met this guy in Sydney who had an African band. Quite good they were. What did you play before? …I was in a punk band. What were they called? …..erm The Slugfuckers. Get much airplay?…err no .
ahem
Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, surely?
Dantallion’s Chariot?
He’ll ride again, you know.
I thought Zoot Money and the Big Roll Band was pretty cool, actually. They lost it after that.
Echo and the Bunnymen
Steely Dan, for a couple of reasons
Tribute bands have some funny ones. Stanley Dee is rather amusing. The Zimmermen are a bunch of old geezers doing Dylan…
All those silly-name suggestions above, when everybody already knows, deep in their souls, that Funkadelic is the bestest band name ever on the planet.
Relatively short and sweet and it does what it says on the packet.
(Groovallegiance)
Also, the early 70s incarnation of Funkadelic was probably the greatest band that has ever existed. Which helps.
The Japanese band Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her (even without knowing it’s an XTC reference).
The Feetwarmers. ( George Melly’s band)
Simple, effective, cool
What about We Were Promised Jetpacks?
Or Get Cape. Wear cape. Fly. Though not actually a band, I know.
Or Dogs Die in Hot Cars. Whatever happened to them?
The best names are a statement of intent, so Niggaz Wit Attitudes takes some beating.
As a teenager Jo Brand went out with a bloke in a band called Derek Dogbasket & The Pedigree Chums
*drops mic*
A similar name is ‘Ken Dodd’s Dad’s dog’ dead.’ Hope I didn’t use too many apostrophes.
There was a band back home in East Angular called The Potting Sheds which I thought kind of sweet. Shambling indie I’m guessing.
Two silly-named bands for you, both previously mentioned elsewhere on this blog.
A pub band I used to see in the London entertainment listings, that used to play regularly at Biddy Mulligan’s in Kilburn: “Paddy Goes To Holyhead”.
Never saw them, so I don’t know what they were like or if they were any good.
Also a New York Jazz-Punk Fusion outfit called “Screaming Headless Torsos”, who are not bad if you like things very loud and fairly freestyle.
the Who
Correct.
Runner up: The Sex Pistols
3rd: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
4th: T.Rex
5th: Kraftwerk
Also ran: Swedish House Mafia; The Doors; Martha Reeves & The Vandelas; Madness; Jefferson Airplane.
There’s a Israeli Skrewdriver covers band called Jewdriver. However I’ve heard a rumour of two Nazi skinhead singers who go under the name of Far Right Said Fred.
I’m with Mr Sprocket on this one. Named after a steam train I seem to recall.
Although, having checked on the web, they’re named after a Japanese biker gang featured in a documentary. A train would have been cooler mind.
Best name: *drum roll*
Love the use of asterisks and lower case.
Many ups!
Surely the correct answer is Jegsy Dodd and the Sons of Harry Cross. No idea what they sounded like but you used to see posters all over Liverpool advertising their gigs.
Harry Cross… a legend. “It’s pathetic…” was his catchphrase.
British Sea Power
bfs
Close run second;
Life In The Fridge Exists
Wellington NZ late seventies
Jawload
Wellington NZ mid nineties
My Wife Drinks Pints
Reading/Basingstoke, late 80s/early 90s
Splodgenessabounds
Tomorrow, if you’re so inclined, you can see Handful Of Helmet at the Currumbin Creek Tavern.
Have we tackled multiple band names for the same going concern?
Wah!
Wah! Heat
The Mighty Wah!
Shambeko Say Wah!
(Not sure about the ! placements)
Similarly the WCKHs – Spizz, SpizzOil, Spizz Energi, Athletico Spizz 80 etc
Jim Thirlwell may well take the cake. From Wikipedia…
“Though popularly known as simply “Foetus”, Thirlwell released albums under diverse variations of the name, including: Foetus Art Terrorism; Foetus Über Frisco; Foetus Corruptus; Foetus In Excelsis Corruptus Deluxe; Foetus Inc.; Foetus Interruptus; Foetus Over Frisco; Foetus Under Glass; Philip and His Foetus Vibrations; Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel; The Foetus All-Nude Revue; The Foetus of Excellence; The Foetus Symphony Orchestra; and You’ve Got Foetus On Your Breath.”
Hawkwind also recorded as Hawklords, Church of Hawkwind, Psychedelic Warriors, Hawkwind Light Orchestra, Hawkwind Zoo, Sonic Assassins and probably others I can’t remember.
Hawkwind Light Orchestra – very short-lived name, following their disastrous booking on Friday Night Is Music Night on Radio 2.
Lemmy described Desmond Carrington as “a perfect fucking gentleman”
Or the Godspeed offshoot A Silver Mt Zion – from Wikipedia:
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra (previously A Silver Mt. Zion, The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Tra-La-La Band with Choir and Thee Silver Mountain Reveries)
Gong
Planet Gong
Mother Gong
Gongzilla
Acid Mothers Gong
New York Gong
Gongmaison
Pierre Moelen’s Gong
Invisible Opera Of Tibet
Glo
Glissando Orchestra
Daevid Allen & Euterpe
Brainville
The best name for a band is Magazine.
A bunch of glossy fashion adverts stapled together or the chief component of an automatic weapon.
Brilliant.
(And I can’t even name 2 songs by them)
Don’t know their songs?
Have a look under the boardwalk.
And under the floorboards!
Aaaah fuck it ! My smart arsery failed
‘Give Me Everything’ and ‘Shot By Both Sides’ are two of the greatest singles ever released. And ‘Real Life’ is a great album.
Nope. It’s Goblin Cock. And they also just happen to claim the greatest album title ever too: -Necronomidonkeykongimicon
It has to be Half Man Half Biscuit. Simple, witty, bizarre and with a certain retro horror film vibe.
I was also rather fond of We’ve got a fuzzbox and we’re going to us it and Elastica.
An honourable mention too to Alberto y Lost Trio Paranoias.
I agree. I first heard the name when it was uttered by Peel – delivered deadpan and with reverence as if he was discussing a rare Velvet Underground track.
And their rumoured tribute band: It Ain’t Half Biscuit, Mum
That’s brilliant. That takes it all up to another level.
Have an Up Lando! From New Zealand to Sweden, we are all chuckling!
…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
Sounds more like a warning, or a sign on a nutters shed than a band name.
But a band they were, releasing 9 albums since 1998.
Crispy Ambulance
Three more from Japan:
Mass of the Fermenting Dregs
Nisennenmondai
Stereopony
Mr Children
ELLEgarden
Bump Of Chicken
“Bump Off Chicken” would be better.
Having finally seen most of the 1976 film Godspeed You! Black Emperor (I turned it off halfway through) I must say that it’s a bit of a buzzkill when compared with the allure of the band name. Perhaps GSY!BE’s music is as much of a buzzkill? Anybody ever heard it? No reviews from Bargepole…
It is a good doc, really fly on the wall stuff. Late 70’s working class japan, pathetic home scenes of parents arguing with their useless grown children intercut with yoof riding motorbikes en mass.
Japan and Britain really do have a lot in common.
Not only heard it but seem them live a couple of times. It was very.
Mandrake Paddle Steamer
The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing
…an obscure historical reference that perfectly locates the band in their preferred milieu.
with the added confusion of a double-negative.
They do make a fine, fine noise though
Storm is in my top ten tracks of all time. Absolutely jaw dropping stuff – just builds and builds until it hits that bit that sounds like Jesus walking on the water. Love it.
Roogalator.