Trouble Funk — The Anthem, Washington D.C., 2018

This filmed live concert captures Trouble Funk on the stage of The Anthem in Washington D.C., in late 2018. A landmark of go-go — the funk style born in the American capital in the late 1970s — Trouble Funk embodies the continuous percussion and constant call-and-response with the crowd that define the genre. On stage the band led by Big Tony Fisher keeps an unbroken groove turning, horns to the fore, congas and drums locked together, songs flowing without a break in the go-go tradition, half concert, half participatory party. This full concert illustrates the longevity of a deeply local sound, kept alive across decades and regularly cited as a root of East Coast hip-hop and house. The dynamic capture conveys the room’s energy and the constant dialogue between stage and floor. Representative of 2010s live funk, this filmed live concert is a prime document for understanding Washington go-go from the inside, in one of the city’s major venues.