W.I.T.C.H.

nwobhm · heavy metal · metal

W.I.T.C.H., short for We Intend To Cause Havoc, is a Zambian rock band formed in Kitwe, in the Copperbelt, in 1972, and the best-known act of the zamrock scene that emerged in the years after Zambian independence. Its 1970s lineup was fronted by Emanuel Jagari Chanda and included Chris Mbewe on lead guitar, John Muma on rhythm guitar, Gideon Mulenga on bass, Boidi Sinkala on drums and Paul Mumba on keyboards, fusing psychedelic and garage rock with blues and local styles. Widely regarded as the most popular Zambian band of the decade, the group recorded a run of albums including Lazy Bones!! in 1975. Chanda later left to teach, and the band moved through disco and then kalindula before economic collapse and political repression ended it in the mid-1980s. Reissues and compilations brought the catalogue back into circulation decades later, and in 2012 Chanda was invited to the United States to revive the band; since 2014 it has worked as an international group pairing him and the Zambian keyboardist Patrick Mwondela with European musicians including guitarists Stefan Lilov and JJ Whitefield and drummer Nico Mauskovic. Zango, released on 2 June 2023 by Desert Daze Sound and Partisan Records, was the band's first studio album in roughly forty years. It was recorded at DB Studios in Lusaka, produced by Jacco Gardner and Michael Linyama, and featured Sampa the Great and Keith Kabwe of Amanaz as guests; it holds an 84 out of 100 average on Metacritic. A further album, Sogolo, followed in 2025, alongside the compilation Fool's Ride.

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