There is a theory that a band’s name doesn’t matter. The Beatles (lame), Arctic Monkeys (nonsensical) and Little Mix (infantilising) are all appalling names which don’t seem to have impeded their members’ reputation, celebrity or bank balances. This argument holds that if the music is good enough your band will make its own weather, however stupid the name.
Anyone who believes this should heed the cautionary tale of California rock band Jimmy Eat World. In the five minutes it took them to come up with their name, they paid no attention to the letters. “Advice for new bands,” they tweeted in 2018. “When coming up with a band name, make sure its acronym displayed really large on your artwork or T-shirts won’t be complicating matters.”
