Review: W.I.T.C.H and Sampa The Great at Brighton Dome – Brighton Festival
Saturday 7th May
Last night at Brighton Dome was one of those rare occasions where music carried history, lineage and reinvention in the same breath, as legendary Zambian Zamrock pioneers W.I.T.C.H. shared the stage with the extraordinary singer and rap artist Sampa The Great for a Brighton Festival exclusive that was vibrant, heartwarming, groundbreaking.
Presented with Acid Box, the evening celebrated Zambia’s rich musical heritage while pushing confidently into new territory. It brought together one of Africa’s most influential bands with decades of influence and skill, with one of its most exciting contemporary voices, creating a collaboration rooted in (literal) family connection, artistic kinship and sheer musical joy.
W.I.T.C.H
W.I.T.C.H, short for We Intend To Cause Havoc, opened with a set full of groove, swagger and psychedelic force. I have since found out that the words in the band name were added later and that this constitutes a backronym (or reverse acronym) where a phrase is constructed from an existing word, treating it as if it were an acronym. Mind. Blown!
Band frontman Emmanuel ‘Jagari’ Chanda remains a commanding and deeply charismatic presence. Warm, witty and wonderfully loose with the audience, he held the room with the easy confidence of someone who has lived enough life to have stories worth telling. Between songs, Jagari shared memories of growing up in a small Zambian village without electric light, reflecting on a childhood far removed from the bright glare of the concert stage. It gave real texture to the evening and grounded the music in lived experience, history and place.
The band itself was skilled professionals who have been doing this since much of the audience were in the womb. Thick electric guitar riffs cut through the hall with confidence, while Patrick Mwondela’s keyboards brought rich layers of sound that at times recalled the swirling organ tones of Inspiral Carpets, before shifting into something funkier, stranger and unmistakably Zamrock. There were flashes of blues, psychedelic rock and deep groove throughout the set including the track ‘Living in the Past’, all bound together by African rhythms and the later addition of a clave that kept everything moving.
One standout moment carried a warm, rolling guitar line that brought to mind Santana at his most fluid and melodic, while another number leaned into a sun-drenched 1970s West Coast rock sound. It was easy to hear why W.I.T.C.H were once described as Zambia’s answer to Deep Purple. There was a most unexpected feeling of rocking out to song lyrics like ‘It feels like fire, let it burn’ accompanied by a mixed gig demographic of older men in suits, young students, and world music devotees, along with others looking like they were off to a monster truck rally. Whilst the sound in the auditorium could have been louder given how full the audience was, the band’s own sound is wholly their own, playful, powerful and gloriously distinctive.
There was style too. Huge hats, sharp stage presence and generous audience participation gave the set warmth and personality. A song collaboration between the band and the headliner act Sampa the Great was a rock rap fusion which brought a dynamism to the show. Whilst some could see this group as a nostalgia act, their set demonstrably showed that W.I.T.C.H are a living sound, encouraging the audience to get involved, and still very much full of spark. I am a newcomer to the band, but have learnt more about Zambia in the past 24 hours than I had ever expected to.
Sampa The Great
Then came Sampa The Great. What a queen.
Walking on stage with complete authority, Sampa delivered a set that fused hip hop, soul and the evolving sound of Nu Zamrock into something expansive and exhilarating. Backed by an excellent three piece band on keys, guitar and drums, every note felt tight, purposeful and finely tuned. The band were incredibly tight and well-rehearsed and utterly proficient in their instruments (Les Zulu on guitar – what a great name), but it is Sampa who is the star of this show. What a force she is.
Sampa and her trio of musicians on keys, guitar and drums, launched into Tilibobo which landed with real power. The diminutive singer with a most impressive wardrobe change after the first track exclaimed about her influences of hip hop, soul music, and Zambia rock stating ‘music bringing us together and this is why Zamrock inspires me’. She oozed confidence from every pore.
Next up, Energy pulsed with life followed by Mask On (with a backing track featuring singer Joey Bada$$) and which was fierce and assured. Her take on Agüita, originally by Hispanic singer Gabriel Garzón-Montano, brought warmth and soulfulness, while newer unreleased material hinted at exciting directions ahead, drawing on Zamrock’s roots while shaping something fresh and contemporary. Sampa called this Nu Zamrock to distinguish it from the “OG Zamrock”.
Sampa spoke movingly about unexpectedly discovering that her uncle, Joe ‘Groovy Joe’ Kunda, founded W.I.T.C.H, deepening her connection to the genre and its legacy. Which then offered an opportunity to bring the singer from W.I.T.C.H back on to the stage to sing Can I live? As a duet. That family link gave the evening emotional resonance, but what mattered most was how naturally the collaboration worked on stage. Rock, rap, soul and psychedelia came together seamlessly.
The singer then shared a collaboration with another Brighton festival performer this month Let Me Be Great, recorded with Angélique Kidjo. This was magnificent, full of strength, pride and emotional force. She then launched into the hard hitting OMG, a celebration of African womanhood, culture and confidence. All of which Sampa the Great has in bags.
By the time Sampa closed with Final Form, still bursting with energy and dynamism, Brighton Dome was fully with her. The encore, Can’t Hold Us (featuring Mwanje), with some more visits from W.I.T.C.H sent the audience out buzzing.
What made this concert so memorable was not simply the quality of the musicianship, although it was exceptional throughout. It was the sense of witnessing a genuine cultural exchange across generations, where heritage was honoured, reinvention embraced, and music used as a bridge between past and future. Brighton Festival promised something special with this UK exclusive collaboration, and it delivered in full.
Viva Zamrock.
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Polly at AcidBox always promotes great gigs. Always worth checking out!