21 best fictional bands

Head to the AP Store for limited-edition vinyl variants of Dethklok albums in honor of their long-awaited return.

Bands don’t need to be real to be great. The world of film and TV has given us some of the most groundbreaking acts, from newer creations like the chaotic Daisy Jones & the Six (from the eponymous Amazon series) to classic guitar-shredders like Wyld Stallyns, who had the power to save the very universe. There are even animated greats like Adult Swim’s Dethklok from Metalocalypse and the Be Sharps with their annoyingly catchy hit “Baby On Board”, which we’re still humming 30 years after The Simpsons episode “Homer’s Barbershop Quartet” aired.

Below, we’ve rounded up the best fictional bands. And yes, there’s not a single industry plant among them.

The best fictional bands

gorillaz

Gorillaz (Gorillaz)

Gorillaz are a band that are all too often left off lists like these. Damon Albarn is, of course, a very real musician, and while he’s the mastermind behind bangers like “Up On Melancholy Hill,” “Clint Eastwood” and “Dare,” he’s not the one we’re meant to believe is singing them. Instead, the world’s first virtual band is made up of 2-D, Murdoc Niccals, Noodle, and Russel Hobbs who come complete with a convoluted, intricate backstory and ever-expanding narrative. New album Cracker Island, for example, sees them start a cult to woo a neighbouring cult leader. 

Universal Pictures

Sex Bob-omb (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World)

Scott Pilgrim’s indie rock band made it to the big screen with Edgar Wright’s 2010 movie Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. What the Michael Cera-featuring group lacked in skill, practice and patience, they made up for with pure enthusiasm though. Having a handful of songs written by Beck certainly helped as well. While we’re here, the Brie Larson-fronted the Clash At Demonhead (with music written by Metric) deserves an honorable shout-out, too.

Adult Swim

Dethklok (Metalocalypse)

The stars of Adult Swim’s Metalocalypse are the world’s most popular death-metal band, who inspire an incredibly devoted following. The billions of fans, or Klokateers, will do anything for Dethklok, from working as roadies to putting themselves in mortal danger to watch the band play live. Plus, their shows involve everything from excessive pyrotechnics to giant saws.

Back in the real world, Dethklok have released three studio albums led by Brendon Small with a fourth on the way. Their music is driven by satirical lyrical themes, and thanks to the success of the show, the group have made the leap to IRL touring, with Dethklok touring with Mastodon and Converge, whereas later this year, they’re heading out on a co-headline tour with BABYMETAL.

Netflix

Ashley O (Black Mirror)

A teen icon turned rebellious pop star before a turn at guitar-driven rock ‘n’ roll — sound familiar? Yup, Miley Cyrus’ appearance in Black Mirror may have borrowed one or two things from real life but the fictional pop star Ashley O also had to deal with an AI doll, acting as a proto-M3GAN, if you like. The highlight of the episode comes via the final, sweaty performance that sees Ashley free from her exploitative management and performing reworked Nine Inch Nails tracks in a basement venue with her old fans getting caught up in the mosh pit. It’s surprisingly upbeat for a Black Mirror episode.

Universal Pictures

Josie and the Pussycats (Josie and the Pussycats)

Featuring Rachael Leigh Cook, Tara Reid, and Rosario Dawson as Josie And The Pussycats, 2001’s musical-comedy Josie And The Pussycats sees the titular band go up against the entire music industry, who have been hiding subliminal messages in shiny teen pop songs. Wouldn’t you know it, authentic music turns out to be just as popular. Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz and Fountains of Wayne’s Adam Schleisinger penned some of the Pussycats’ most iconic songs, while Letter To Cleo’s Kat Hanley provided the vocals.

Paramount Pictures

The School of Rock (School of Rock)

We’ve all seen the meme about the promoter being the real hero of School Of Rock but Internet jokes aside, The School Of Rock is one phenomenal force. Led by Jack Black’s Dewey Finn to win a battle of the bands after he was dumped from his old group No Vacancy, this ambitious gang of precocious pre-teens pulled influence from the greats (Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, AC/DC) to create rebellious rock ‘n’ roll bangers and put on one hell of a show. A sequel when?

LucasFilm

Figrin D’an and the Modal Nodes a.k.a. Cantina Band (Star Wars)

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far, away the Cantina Band brought the thunder to Star Wars. First introduced in 1977’s A New Hope and ripped off in Return Of The Jedi with The Max Rebo Band, the Cantina Band delivered funk, swing music with a Bith alien twist. Created by iconic composer John Williams, the Cantina Band’s “Mad About Me” and “If I Only Could Let Go And Cry” stole the show in the original Star Wars while their reworked version of the theme topped the charts in 1977.

20th Century Fox

Low Shoulder (Jennifer’s Body)

Jennifer’s Body not only had an iconic soundtrack, but the cult film also featured devil worshipping rockers Low Shoulder. “Do you know how hard it is to make it as an indie band these days?” explained Adam Brody’s frontman Nikolai. “Satan is our only hope.” When they band weren’t sacrificing virgins in a satanic blood ritual, Low Shoulder were exploiting tragedy with their slow-burning anthem “Through The Trees” (written and performed by real life bandmates Ryan Levine and Andrew Ampaya) or being murdered for their crimes. We love a happy ending.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

4*Town (Turning Red)

Disney Pixar’s coming-of-age film starring a 13-year-old Mei Lee (Rosalie Chiang) who inadvertently turned into a giant red panda also introduced the world to sleek boy band 4*Town. Inspired by the likes of Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Boys II Men, One Direction and BTS, the all-singing, all-dancing five-piece was adored in the film while their tracks (written by Billie Eilish & Finneas) were just as popular in the real world. Want to know more? The fictional cartoon group even has their own website.

20th Television

Boyz4Now (Bob’s Burgers)

Another cartoon boyband riffing on the highly polished hysteria caused by the likes of The Jonas Brothers, One Direction and BTS, Boyz4Now first appeared in season 3 of Bob’s Burgers and have appeared intermittently ever since, exposing a hole in Louise’s wisecracking swagger. For a show where at least two of the main characters regularly burst into song and every episode ends in a joyful tune, Boyz4Now are the best of a very good bunch.

20th Television

The Be Sharps (The Simpsons)

Rounding out the trilogy of animated bands are the Be Sharps, a Grammy-award winning barbershop quartet made up of Homer Simpson, Chief Wiggum, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Seymour Skinner and later Barney Gumble. The Simpsons’ season five opener featured cameo appearances from George Harrison and David Crosby while the episode tracked the Be Sharps sudden explosion to stardom and the subsequent fall-out that followed. Riffing heavily on the Beatles’ real life career and featuring the vocal talents of the Dapper Dans (alongside the existing cast), the Be Sharps are like a little yellow sign that can’t be ignored.

Embassy Pictures

Spinal Tap (This Is Spinal Tap)

The original turn it up to 11 band, Spinal Tap are the stars of 1984 mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap. The cult film follows “one of England’s loudest bands” as they tour America, promoting new album Smell The Glove. Things don’t exactly go well though, with poor ticket sales, controversial artwork and a seemingly-cursed drum stool until a track goes viral in Japan. The band were so well received, Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer actually toured as Spinal Tap following the release of the film and released music under the fictional band’s name.

Buena Vista Pictures

Pink Slip (Freaky Friday)

Freaky Friday was peak ‘00s cinema. Starring Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, the mother/daughter duo switch bodies by a magical fortune cookie before ultimately finding a newfound respect for one another. The film also features fictional band Pink Slip who are so iconic, MUNA dressed up as them and performed their angsty teen hit “Take Me Away” last Halloween. As well as the cover of Lash’s 2002 single, Pink Slip also gave the world the Lohan original “Ultimate”. Pink Slip is a stellar reminder of the golden age of pop-punk.

Lacey Terrell/Prime Video

Daisy Jones & The Six (Daisy Jones & The Six)

Daisy Jones & The Six explores the untold story of why one of the biggest fictional bands broke up at the height of their fame, with a large nod to the turbulent career of Fleetwood Mac. For their roles, Riley Keough (Daisy Jones) and Sam Claflin (Billy Dunne) actually had to learn their instruments to star in the show alongside Suki Waterhouse (Karen Sirko), Josh Whitehouse (Eddie Roundtree) Sebastian Chacon (Warren Rojas) and Will Harrison (Graham Dunne). The songs in question were actually co-written by the likes of Phoebe Bridgers, Blake Mills and Marcus Mumford so it’s no surprise they hit so hard.

Universal Pictures

The Style Boyz (Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping)

The Andy Samberg-fronted band are the subject of 2015 mockumentary Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, combining his work with comedy group the Lonely Island and the acting chops of Brooklyn 99. The inspirational rap-pop group quickly find fame but infighting and egos lead to Lawrence Dunn (played by fellow Lonely Island member Akiva Schaffer) to quit the band, causing Samberg’s Kid Connor to go solo as Connor4Real. Like all great mockumentaries, things don’t go well (at one point Seal is attacked by a wolf) but a reconciliation sees the Style Boyz reunite with a Michael Bolton collab.

NBCUniversal Global Distribution

We Are Lady Parts (We Are Lady Parts)

In We Are Lady Parts, the stars of Nida Manzoor's anarchic and irreverent music comedy about a Muslim female punk band showcase the titular group on a quest to find a lead guitarist and play a proper gig. Originally broadcast in the UK in 2021, the actors behind We Are Lady Parts really are playing those snarling punk anthems while an accompanying six-track EP is perfect for fans of big choruses, snotty riffs and snarky putdowns. A second season has already been commissioned, so We Are Lady Parts will ride again.

Orion Pictures

Wyld Stallyns (Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure)

Wyld Stallyns are the heavy metal band formed by slackers, Bill and Ted and feature heavily across all three films in the franchise. They’re described as “the greatest band of all time” not just because of their glorious riffs, but because their mantra of “be excellent to each other” and “party on, dude” helped foster a new era of world peace. They also helped planet Earth make friends with martians. We don’t see a whole lot of the band across the films, but the two friends do everything in their power to keep the dream alive. They even got Death to play bass which is metal AF.

Universal Pictures

Marvin Berry & the Starlighters (Back To The Future)

The Pinheads may be Marty McFly’s band also inspiring English pop-rock band McFly, but it’s Marvin Berry & The Starlighters who really stole the show in Back To The Future. In the iconic film, the fictional group were booked to play the 1955 “Enchantment Under The Sea Dance” at Hill Valley High School. They were meant to soundtracked Marty’s parents first kiss until time travel really screwed that up. The climax of the film featured them onstage for a fiery cover of Chuck Berry’s very real hit “Johnny B Goode,” much to the horror of the kids in attendance. “I guess you guys aren't ready for that yet,” said McFly. “But your kids are gonna love it."

DreamWorks Pictures

Stillwater (Almost Famous)

Semi-autobiographical film Almost Famous was inspired by music journalist Cameron Crowe’s real life experiences of touring with the likes of Eagles, Led Zeppelin and Lynyrd Skynyrd, which is where Stillwater comes in. An emerging rock band already struggling with life in the spotlight, the inclusion of a Rolling Stone journalist in their inner circle only makes things more complicated. Seventies guitar hero Peter Frampton acted as a technical consultant on the now-legendary film and co-wrote a handful of Stillwater’s riff-heavy anthems and so did Heart’s Nancy Wilson, as well.

20th Century Fox

The Wonders (That Thing You Do!)

Following a run of successes in Forrest Gump, Toy Story and Sleepless In Seattle, Tom Hanks made his feature writer and directorial debut with 1996 comedy film That Thing You Do!. Like a few other entries in our list, this film tells the tale of the rise and fall of a fictional band. This one features the Wonders, a 1960s pop band who accidentally made it big and enjoyed their time in the spotlight before fame split them up. In this fictional world, the dreamy bop “That Thing You Do” peaked at number 2 in the charts but in reality, the Adam Schlesinger-penned track was also a success around the globe.

MTV

2gether (2gether)

2gether was basically the boyband version of Spinal Tap. The group not only became the focus of a self-titled satirical movie on MTV, but a spin-off television show, too, with each member chosen to fill a stereotypical role (the cute one, the hearthrob, the shy one, the older brother and the bad boy). While 2gether may have poked fun at the rise of boy bands, there was nothing silly about their sugary pop hits and the actors even played several shows in character with Britney Spears.