These Confusing Bands Aren’t Actually From DC

If you’ve encountered these current music acts, perhaps you’ve assumed they’re from our area. Nope! A quick look:

DC

A UK rapper who hails not from the District of Columbia but Dock City, the nickname for a part of London.

Racing Mount Pleasant

They’re a buzzy band from Michigan, so the name likely refers to that state’s Mt. Pleasant Speedway rather than the DC neighborhood.

DC the Don

The rapper, whose latest single is “Get Naked,” spent his formative years in Milwaukee. That isn’t even the capital of Wisconsin.

Fontaines D.C.

A critically acclaimed band with “D.C.” in its name? You’d be forgiven for assuming they’re part of the District’s renowned music scene. In fact, they’re Irish: Those letters stand for “Dublin City.”

GoGo Penguin

There’s no evidence this jazzy British trio has ever heard of Chuck Brown. Might their hypnotic instrumental grooves be improved by some congas?

This article appears in the September 2025 issue of Washingtonian.