Rising up from the murk and mud of the underground, Gonerfest 22 has emerged in the form of a gigantic bipedal fish to announce what will be in store this fall, from Thursday, September 25th, through Sunday, September 28th, 2025. And with many puzzling over the apparent closure of Railgarten, Gonerfest’s host since 2021, it comes as a relief to hear that this year’s festival has found a new home at Wiseacre Brewery on Broad Avenue.
The big news, of course, is that the fest will be headlined by “Zamrock” legends W.I.T.C.H. (purveying Zambia’s unique blend of traditional African sounds and psychedelic rock) and Missoula/Seattle indie rockers Silkworm. Also included in the initial list of confirmed bands are Sydney, Australia’s (via L.A.) “egg punks” Tee Vee Repairmann; Athens, Georgia’s rockers Pylon Reenactment Society; Auckland, New Zealand’s post-punks Guardian Singles; Sydney’s garage punks Itchy & the Nits; and up-and-coming Chicago popsters Sharp Pins.
Part of a rich flowering of edgy psychedelic rock in Zambia, W.I.T.C.H. (an acronym for “We Intend To Cause Havoc”) were formed during that country’s golden post-independence days, headed by lead vocalist Emanuel “Jagari” Chanda, and were soon embraced as one of the greatest “Zamrock” bands of the 1970s. With the economy collapsing at the end of that decade, and facing increased government authoritarianism, W.I.T.C.H., like most Zamrock bands, were reduced to playing daytime shows to avoid the curfews, then faded away. Cut to 2012, when Chanda was invited to the U.S. to perform. In 2013, “New Witch” began touring again with a lineup including Chanda and new members from the Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland. The band’s previous discography has also been re-released.
Silkworm, meanwhile, formed in 1987 and released nine influential albums and many singles, EPs, and compilations over an 18-year period, as well as touring worldwide in North America, Europe, and Asia, notably playing every state in the continental U.S. (except Delaware, for some reason). The group recently played together as a dual-guitar quartet, for the first time in thirty years, at Steve Albini’s memorial in 2024, and the experience was so rewarding that they began to discuss regrouping for some additional events — which now will bring them to Gonerfest.
Early Bird Gonerfest 22 golden passes go on sale March 19th at 10 a.m. CDT. They are $150 each for entry into all official shows. Single-day passes will be available at the door, according to venue capacity. For more info and tickets, click here.
