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By Steve Perrett

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?

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 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 name? Very difficult for me!

I once joined a band that were looking to rename themselves. It took five of us about 2 weeks to come up with the name!

"Graphic"

which was quite a good name (at the time), but not really a suitable name for the band!

Finding a 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.

1. What makes a good name?
2. How do you want your band depicted?
3. 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 consideration should be given to:

1. The type of music you play.
2. The audience you?re trying to attract.
3. 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?

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!