Glastonbury 2025: Watch Zamrock legends Witch kick off the music at Worthy Farm with ‘Queenless King’
The music is beginning to ramp up at Glastonbury as the smaller stages swing into gear ahead of the weekend. The biggest gathering so far saw the Zamrock legends Witch take to the Shangri-La stage in a far-flung corner of Worthy Farm.
Zambian psychedelic rock became a poignant music force in the late 1960s. On October 24th, 1964, Zambia announced its independence from the United Kingdom. When independence came, so did the desire for the country to reclaim its own culture. So, Prime Minister Kenneth Kaunda poured money, now flowing from the copper mines, into the arts.
The youngsters in the region were instantly drawn to the liberated sound of rock ‘n’ roll, which the British had brought along with them. Initially, there were no recording studios or record labels in the country. Nevertheless, huge parties sprang up with bands playing a unique blend of music.
When a link to a record pressing facility in Nairobi, Kenya was developed, one of the very first pieces of Zambian music ever recorded to that point would be ‘Introduction’ by WITCH, laying down the psychedelic, melodic and catchy beats that would embody the country’s music scene.
The first 200 copies of ‘Introduction’ (as much as they could fit in their luggage) arrived as the nation lifted itself towards its own identity. The authorities then passed a bill that meant radio stations had to begin playing 90% Zambian music. Witch became vital icons.
Tragically, the thriving Zamrock would be ravaged by the HIV pandemic in the 1980s, and many of the bands wouldn’t survive. Thankfully, Witch made their way through the crisis, and now continue to pay tribute to the scene that they helped to stir up. This made for an emotional set at Glastonbury with one of the first major acts of the weekend going down a storm.
‘Queenless King’ is from their latest album, Sogolo. You can watch them rattling off a rendition of the groovy Zamrock track below.
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