Updated September 2026 · sources linked throughout
“Star Wars bands” means two different things. Sometimes people mean the bands inside the galaxy — the cantina band, Max Rebo. Sometimes they mean real bands here on Earth who make music about Star Wars. This page covers both, because we’re one of the second kind and we’ve spent years finding the others.
The short answer
| Band | Sound | How Star Wars | Start with |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Han Solo Project | Rock | Entire catalog | Five albums on Spotify |
| Sarlacc | Grindcore-adjacent | Entire catalog | Rule of Two |
| Palette-Swap Ninja | Beatles parody | One full album | Princess Leia’s Stolen Death Star Plans |
| Hoth | Melodic blackened death metal | First two releases | Infinite Darkness |
| Galactic Empire | Instrumental metal | Covers the score, in costume | Spotify |
| Bantha Rider | Instrumental stoner metal | One full album | Binary Sunset Massacre |
| Nerf Herder | Pop-punk | The name, plus one song | “I’m the Droid (You’re Looking For)” |
Real bands that write songs about Star Wars
It’s a smaller club than you’d expect. Plenty of musicians drop a Star Wars reference into a verse. Very few build a whole record out of it, and they tend to land at the loud end of the dial.
The Han Solo Project
That’s us. Rock, five albums since 2016, all original songs about fan theories, background characters, and the Death Star’s nonexistent safety railings. Mike Bal on drums, Tom Hummer on bass. The whole story, or go straight to the lyrics archive.
Sarlacc
A Pittsburgh duo who describe themselves as “heavy music of varying velocities, stained by Star Wars.” In practice that means grindcore-length blasts where every title is a deep cut. Rule of Two (2015) has songs about Tarkin, blue milk, and Force choking. Full discography on Bandcamp.
Palette-Swap Ninja
Dan Amrich and Jude Kelley rewrote Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band as A New Hope, track for track, and released it free in May 2017 for both records’ anniversaries. The result is Princess Leia’s Stolen Death Star Plans, which includes “With Illicit Help From Your Friends” and “A Day in the Life of Red Five.” They re-recorded every note themselves. It has its own Wikipedia page, which is more than most of us can say.
Hoth
Seattle melodic blackened death metal, named for the ice planet, and completely serious about it. Their 2012 demo Infinite Darkness is a tribute to the saga’s monsters: the Dianoga, the space slug, the Wampa, the Rancor. The 2014 full-length Oathbreaker never names names, but Angry Metal Guy heard it as Darth Vader’s story told as a tragedy. They’ve since moved on to non-Star Wars material with Astral Necromancy (2018).
Galactic Empire
Instrumental metal covers of John Williams’s score, played in full Imperial costume. It started as a drum video of “The Imperial March” and became a touring band on Pure Noise Records, with a self-titled debut in 2017. No original songs, but nobody does the score heavier. Official site.
Bantha Rider
Instrumental stoner metal from Warsaw. Binary Sunset Massacre (2020) is all Tatooine: “Boonta Eve,” “The Gamorrean,” “Rancor’s Delight.” No vocals, which the band admits is less a statement than a staffing issue.
Nerf Herder
Named after Leia’s “scruffy-looking nerf herder” line in The Empire Strikes Back, and best known for writing the Buffy the Vampire Slayer theme. They took about twenty years to write an actual Star Wars song: “I’m the Droid (You’re Looking For),” on 2016’s Rockingham.
Bands from inside the Star Wars galaxy
Figrin D’an and the Modal Nodes — the Mos Eisley cantina band from A New Hope. Seven Bith musicians, with Figrin D’an himself on the kloo horn and Doikk Na’ts on the Dorenian Beshniquel. The tune everyone knows is “Cantina Band” on the soundtrack; older Expanded Universe material calls it “Mad About Me.”
The Max Rebo Band — Jabba’s house act in Return of the Jedi. Originally a trio: Max Rebo on the red ball jett organ, Sy Snootles on vocals, Droopy McCool on horn. The 1997 Special Edition added a pile of new members, including backup singers and dancers.
StarWars.com has a whole piece comparing the two. Both of them worked Tatooine, which says a lot about the galactic touring circuit.
Bands named after Star Wars that don’t sing about it
These show up on every “Star Wars bands” list, but none of them make Star Wars music:
- Vader: Polish death metal, formed 1983. Founder Piotr Wiwczarek named them after Darth Vader directly.
- Eisley: Texas indie band made up of siblings. They started as “Moss Eisley” and shortened it once they signed to a major label.
- RJD2: producer whose stage name comes from R2-D2.
- Bossk: UK post-metal, named for the Trandoshan bounty hunter in Empire.
- Jedi Mind Tricks: Philadelphia underground hip hop. The name is a Star Wars phrase, and the Star Wars stops there.
A myth worth busting: Stormtroopers of Death (S.O.D.) has nothing to do with Star Wars. Scott Ian named the band after “Sargent D,” a cartoon soldier he drew.
Common questions
What is the Star Wars cantina band called?
Figrin D’an and the Modal Nodes, a seven-piece Bith band. The song is “Cantina Band” on the A New Hope soundtrack; older Expanded Universe books call it “Mad About Me.”
Are there real bands that only write Star Wars songs?
Yes, a handful. The Han Solo Project (rock) and Sarlacc (grindcore) have built their whole catalogs out of it. Palette-Swap Ninja and Bantha Rider each made a full Star Wars album, and Hoth’s first two releases were Star Wars concept records before they moved on.
Is there a band that plays the Star Wars score as metal?
Galactic Empire. It’s instrumental metal arrangements of John Williams’s music, performed in costume.
Can I use Star Wars music in my podcast?
Not John Williams’s score, which Disney owns and which gets flagged on YouTube. Original fan-made music is a different story. Ours is free to use with credit.
Do Star Wars bands play conventions?
Regularly. Fan conventions and Star Wars events are the natural home for this music. We’re available to book.
Know a band that belongs on this list, or spot something we got wrong? Tell us and we’ll fix it. We’d rather this page be right than be about us.
