Say it wrong and you’re officially not my friend

Band names have got more and more cryptic over the years.

The straightforward ones like ‘The Beatles’, ‘The Rolling Stones’ and ‘Crowded House’ have been replaced by a constant wave of bands trying to break the mould and do something different.

I first noticed it when they started using a ‘z’ instead of an ‘s’ – ‘Limp Bizkit’ and ‘Boyz II Men’.

Then numbers started popping up – ‘Blink 182’. ‘Zero 7’, ‘M83’, ‘Sonic Boom Six’ and ‘2manydjs’.

Next thing we know they’re getting alliterative – ‘Fat Freddy’s Drop’ and ‘Ben Folds Five’.

Or using a number to represent a letter, as in ‘Deadmau5’.

Now I’m all for bands playing around with the English language; it proves it’s becoming more and more fluid in the ways we use it. The problem is there are always names you’re not really sure how to say. And by giving it a go you risk looking stupid.

Maybe the bands are doing it to sort the avid listeners from the dabblers. Or to encourage that awkward moment where you mispronounce a name when you’re talking to a fan. Next thing you know, you’re given the ‘you said it wrong so we’re officially not friends’ look.

I got that for my attempts at Lynyrd Skynyrd (Lie-nerd Sky-nerd, oops), Alexisonfire (Alex is on fire is wrong) and SBTRKT (it’s subtract, obviously).

So, are today’s band names representing a new wave of language lovers or are they just being smartarses?