Red Hot Silly Peppers: 3 Bands Whose Names Are Hilariously Similar

Red Hot Chili Peppers is already a goofy name for a band, but what about some others that take those elements and put a spin on them? What of the OG Hot Chili Peppers? The name didn’t fully originate with the L.A. four-piece, so let’s take a look at some hilariously similar band names that have even caused some befuddlement and regretful ticket purchases.

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Red Hot Chili Peppers

Formed in 1982, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are a staple of the Los Angeles area. First emerging in the L.A. punk scene, they toured with grunge groups early in their career before settling into a unique punk-funk-alt sound. Originally, the band was called Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem. They changed the name around the time of recording their first demos, and according to Anthony Kiedis, it was inspired by jazz.

“It’s a derivation of a classic old-school American blues or jazz name,” said Kiedis, per a 2021 interview with Grunge. “There was Louis Armstrong with his Hot Five, and also other bands that had ‘Red Hot’ this or ‘Chili’ that. But no one had ever been the Red Hot Chili Peppers, a name that would forever be a blessing and a curse.”

Red Hot Chilli Pipers

While doing research, I stumbled upon a forum of similar band names. A contributor told a story of a coworker purchasing tickets to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers for $25, thinking this was a great deal and not knowing much about the band. Turns out, the concert was for the Red Hot Chilli Pipers, a bagpipe group from Scotland. According to their website, though, they’re the hottest bagpipe group in the world, and put on one hell of a show.

Each performer in the group is world renowned, with impressive artistic credentials and traditional skills. They coined the term “bagrock” as well, due to their penchant for performing popular rock tunes along with traditional Scottish anthems. According to a 2018 report from The New Yorker, the band got its name because one of the founding members’ girlfriends once filed a Red Hot Chili Peppers CD with traditional bagpipe albums, having misread “peppers” as “pipers.” After that, the Red Hot Chilli Pipers was born.

Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers

Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers are really the OGs of naming a band after a pepper. Beginning in the early 1970s, Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers were a prominent British pub band. They recorded two John Peel Sessions with BBC Radio 1, a milestone for British artists, and released a final album, Bongos Over Balham. This album didn’t do particularly well, and the band split in 1975.

However, remnants of Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers are everywhere. Later band member Pete Thomas became the drummer for Elvis Costello’s band The Attractions, while other members started bands like Bontemps Roulez, joined the Residents, and played with the Pink Fairies. Their influence never really left the U.K., but elements of their name have stuck around.

Featured Image by Tony Norkus