The Best Bands Like Sublime
Looking for more good bands like Sublime? You've come to the right place. During the early '90s, Bradley Nowell, Eric Wilson, and Bud Gaugh became regarded as one of the best ska bands of all time, and thanks to their masterful fusion of ska-punk with reggae rock and dub, many bands have been inspired by the Long Beach trio.
Bands like Slightly Stoopid and Pepper are perhaps most often cited as related artists, both having appeared on Nowell's Skunk Records label in their early career, while top ska and reggae rock bands like 311 and the Dirty Heads are widely considered to sound like Sublime. Of course, if you're looking for the group with music the most similar to Sublime, you need look no further than Sublime with Rome - a spinoff trio consisting of Wilson, Rome Ramirez, and Carlos Verdugo. While the band is best known for performing classic Sublime hits, Sublime with Rome also has recorded three original albums' worth of new songs which have the flavor we all know and love.
Undeniably, Sublime has had a massive influence on the ska-punk, reggae rock, and dub scenes, inspiring both their contemporaries and modern bands. And, while there are a lot of awesome groups and artists that sound like the legends behind 40 Oz. to Freedom, it's up to you to decide which are the best of the best. Vote up the bands you'd be most likely to recommend to people who are fans of Sublime, and be sure to add any that you feel we might have missed.
- Slightly Stoopid is an American band based in the Ocean Beach neighborhood of San Diego, California, who describe their music as "a fusion of folk, rock, reggae and blues with hip-hop, funk, metal ...more
- Pepper is a rock band with three members, two originally from Hawaii, and one from California. Now the band is based in San Diego. The band consists of vocalist/guitarist Kaleo Wassman, ...more
- Dirty Heads is an American alternative band from Huntington Beach, California. Their debut album, Any Port in a Storm, was released on September 23, 2008, by Executive Music Group ...more
- The Long Beach Dub Allstars are a dub/ska/rock band formed in 1997 and disbanded in 2002, but reformed 10 years later.
- 311 are an American rock band from Omaha, Nebraska. The band was formed in 1988 by vocalist and guitarist Nick Hexum, lead guitarist Jim Watson, bassist Aaron "P-Nut" Wills, and drummer Chad Sexton. ...more
- Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991. Founded by former members of the band Operation Ivy, Rancid is often credited as being among the wave of bands which ...more
- Reel Big Fish is an American ska punk band from Orange County, California, best known for the 1997 hit "Sell Out". The band gained mainstream recognition in the mid-to-late 1990s, during the third ...more
- Sublime with Rome is a musical collaboration between Eric Wilson, formerly of the band Sublime, and singer and guitarist Rome Ramirez. The group chiefly performs songs by Sublime, which was fronted ...more
- The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (informally referred to as The Bosstones) is an American ska punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1983. Since the band's inception, lead vocalist Dicky Barrett, ...more
- The Specials, also known as The Special AKA, are an English 2 Tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry ...more
- Less Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida, formed in 1992. The band consists of Chris DeMakes (vocals, guitar), Roger Lima (vocals, bass), Vinnie Fiorello (drums, lyrics), ...more
- Operation Ivy was an American punk rock band from Berkeley, California formed in May 1985. The band was stylistically important as one of the first bands to mix the elements of hardcore punk and ska ...more
- Rebelution is a rock, world and reggae band formed in Santa Barbara, California. Current members of Rebelution are Eric Rachmany, Rory Carey, Wesley Finley, Marley D Williams, and Khris Royal.
- The Expendables is an American reggae rock band from Santa Cruz, California.
- The Suicide Machines is an American punk rock band formed in March 1991 in Detroit, Michigan and disbanded in May 2006. Since 2009, the band has occasionally played reunion shows. During the course ...more
- Iration is a reggae group from Santa Barbara, CA. All members originally hail from Hawaii. They play a mix of reggae, dub, rock and are known for playing a lot of Sunshine Reggae.
- The Toasters are one of the original American third wave of ska bands. They have released nine studio albums, primarily through Moon Ska Records.
- Sugar Ray is an American rock band from Newport Beach, California. Originally forming in 1986 and playing heavier nu metal style music, the band achieved mainstream popularity in 1997 with their more ...more
- Streetlight Manifesto is an American ska punk band from New Brunswick, New Jersey formed in 2002. They released their first album, Everything Goes Numb, which was distributed by Victory Records, on ...more
- The Mad Caddies (or the Caddies) are a ska punk band from Solvang, California. The band formed in 1995 and has released seven full-length albums, one live album, and two EPs. The Mad Caddies sound ...more
- Mustard Plug is a ska punk band from Grand Rapids, Michigan, consisting of Dave Kirchgessner (vocals), Brendon Jenson (trumpet), Jim Hofer (trombone), Nate Cohn (drums), Colin Clive (guitar/vocals), ...more
- Skankin' Pickle was an American ska punk band formed in San Jose, California that was active from 1989 to 1996.
- Catch 22 was an American ska punk band from East Brunswick Township, New Jersey. The band was formed in 1996 by guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Tomas Kalnoky, who left the band in 1998 and later ...more
- The Supervillains is a four-piece reggae band from in Orlando, Florida. The band released 7 studio albums, and have been a supporting band on tour with Pepper, Slightly Stoopid, Fishbone, Streetlight ...more
- Subhumans are an English anarcho-punk band formed in the Warminster and Melksham area of Wiltshire in 1980. Vocalist Dick Lucas had formerly been in another local band, The Mental, and other members ...more