In the 1970s, WITCH (an acronym – or backronym – for We Intend to Cause Havoc) were Zambia’s most popular band. Blending the traditional sounds of garage rock with African rhythm and blues, the legendary group released five albums through the decade, and started the influential ‘Zamrock’ movement. Bouncing off the back of Zambia’s newfound independence, WITCH spent the 70s playing lengthy and ecstatic stadium-size shows around Africa, fronted by charismatic and energetic frontman Emmanuel Chanda. However, following increasing authoritarianism and economic collapse in their home country, the band faded away in the mid-80s, with Chanda ultimately pursuing his career prospects as a teacher. That is until the late-2010s, when Chanda – now working as a gemstone miner in the Zambian countryside – revived the band with a brand new set of musicians, eventually releasing new album Zango in 2023, their first selection of music in nearly 40 years.
This unexpected revival brought WITCH out of Africa for the first time. At Strange Brew tonight, the band are celebrating the release of last year’s excellent SOGOLO, as well as a reissue of one of their finest albums: 1975’s Lazy Bones!!. Walking on stage fitted with what looks like psychedelic mushroom hats (the drummer also sporting a superb pair of sparkly sunglasses), the band kick off the show with ‘Kamusale’, the first song off the new album. After a loud, power-chord heavy introduction, the song settles into an immediately danceable and slinky groove.
All the fundamental elements of Zamrock are here: the fuzzed-out, rhythmic guitars, driving drum beat, and energetic call-and-response vocals from Chanda to his band. Chanda himself is a captivating stage presence. Even at 75 years of age, he commands the stage, handing out high fives to the audience and singing with an impressive vocal range. The lyrics – as with many of WITCH’s songs – are about love and heartbreak: “Getting closer to her, she was my angel / I gave her my heart / She tore it apart”.
Soon after, during the laidback and supremely catchy ‘Living in the Past’, Chanda invites someone on stage to dance with him. The lucky audience member, clearly infatuated by the band, goes round and kisses each band member on the cheek. This positive energy extends to the wider audience, all of whom are swaying in sync with Charlie Garmendia’s expertly controlled drumbeat. The song itself is groovy and well-balanced, a simple formula that translates perfectly onto Strange Brew’s robust sound system.
Later in the set, the more upbeat ‘Nazingwa’ – from 1977’s self-titled album – combines syncopated bongos with a fidgety, bluesy riff, as Chanda once again engages in some light-hearted call-and-response with the crowd. Of course, these songs are great in and of themselves. However, their original trackings were somewhat impeded by recording equipment that couldn’t quite capture the energy of the band. There is something particularly special, therefore, about seeing these songs performed in a live setting, in many ways how they were meant to be experienced.
Next up is undebated set highlight ‘Waile’, from 2023’s comeback album Zango. The song revolves around a peppy and unreasonably groovy bassline, decorated with blasts of fuzzed-out guitar and Chanda’s impassioned vocals. At its midsection, it breaks down into half-speed gospel, before once again returning to full swing with an astonishing guitar solo from Stefan Lilov. His playing sits somewhere between the noodliness of John Dwyer and the robustness of Jimi Hendrix. It is a superb performance, and the crowd respond in kind, taking the dancing up a few notches.
At many points during the set, Chanda will tell lengthy stories to the crowd to set up context for the songs. These range from being unable to afford a taxi home from a Zambian club, finding a lifelong partner, applying for a UK visa, and, eventually, the origin of the universe (“what banged?”). At one point, he jokes that someone has to buy merch, so he doesn’t have to swim back home. That is, he tells us, unless we want him to have no limbs upon arrival. Though random, Chanda is a relaxed and charming stage presence, and clearly experienced in his role as frontman. I can only wish to have his energy and spark when I reach his age.
After a short encore, the band return with the instrumental ‘Home Town’. Probably their most recognisable song, it is a disarmingly simple track, backed with Patrick Mwondela’s organ (programmed to his keyboard, of course), and two alternating chords. Tonight, they play a shortened version, and it acts more as their walk-on song than a full tune on its own. Finally, we are treated to ‘Toloka’, a short, jammy song complete with fuzzy guitar solos, group vocals, and some more of Chanda’s dance moves.
Rather abruptly, he announces that they have hit curfew, and thanks the audience for attending. It is not often you get to see a veteran band performing at the level and energy we saw tonight. This was a fantastic show, and I can only hope that WITCH make the long journey from Zambia again sometime soon. I will certainly be there if they do
Conor Lang
