Online Reporter
Stanford Chiwanga, [email protected]
AFTER more than a year of silence, Pub Choir ZW is finally returning to Bulawayo — and they are doing it with a completely reimagined experience set to take over the city this Saturday. Fans who have been counting down since the group’s last performance in December 2024 will be thrilled to know that the beloved musical movement is stepping back onto a Bulawayo stage not with a repeat, but with a reinvention.
According to co-founder and director Simbai “Zey” Nicholas, the long break was a deliberate creative pause rather than a disappearance. Following a busy 2024, the team chose to pull back, recalibrate, and rethink what Pub Choir could be.
“Pub Choir is not just about putting on shows — it’s about delivering an intentional, elevated, emotionally charged experience. We needed time to refine the brand, grow our production standards, and expand into other cities before returning to Bulawayo with something that feels like a true step forward,” Nicholas said.
While the public may have wondered what was happening behind the scenes, Nicholas revealed that the hiatus was strategic.
The team focused on strengthening partnerships, upgrading technical production, reworking the format, and experimenting with new concepts — including the now matured Soul Avenue, the centrepiece of this Saturday’s show at the Bulawayo Athletic Club (BAC) Sports Club.
“There’s a lot of invisible work. Venue negotiations, production upgrades, audience research. We didn’t want to come back quickly; we wanted to come back stronger.”
What was never in doubt, however, was Pub Choir’s commitment to Bulawayo. Nicholas says the city’s passionate, expressive audience is unforgettable and was never going to be abandoned. The return was always planned — it simply needed the right moment.
“If anything, the question was always when, not if,” he says.
And the timing, he insists, is finally right. The demand has grown louder, the energy has shifted, and Soul Avenue has evolved into a show tailor-made for Bulawayo’s vibrant musical soul. In fact, Nicholas credits the relentless stream of DMs, comments, and “Mzala, when are you coming back?” messages as a major driving force behind this weekend’s comeback.
“Pub Choir is community-driven. When your audience keeps asking and sharing memories, you listen.”
Saturday’s event promises a different experience from the classic Pub Choir format. Soul Avenue: Love Like The 90s, is a curated, DJ-driven nostalgia journey built around communal singing and emotional throwbacks.
It is more intimate, and more interactive — and, unlike the traditional shows, there will be no lyrics on screen. Nicholas calls it a playful challenge and a nostalgic thrill. — @plainstan
