Songhoy Blues (ML)
From Mali
Popularity
Songhoy Blues has 2 upcoming shows in the Netherlands. The next one is on October 9, 2026 at Grounds, Rotterdam. All 2 tour dates
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About
Songhoy Blues carry a story that would soundtrack itself. Three musicians from the north of Mali, all Songhoy people, all sharing the surname Touré despite no family connection, they ended up in Bamako after jihadist group Ansar Dine banned music outright and forced them from their homes. Rather than go quiet, they formed a band to keep the sound of the north alive. A chance audition for Damon Albarn's Africa Express project brought them to Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who helped them cut "Soubour" in 2013, and that one track opened the door to everything else. Their debut album Music in Exile landed in 2015 to near universal acclaim, with the NME calling it "a masterpiece of desert blues." The band blend Malian groove with electric guitar energy in a way that sits closer to rock than anything you'd file under world music. Garba Touré, whose father was Ali Farka Touré's longtime percussionist, grew up on Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles and hip hop as much as traditional sounds. Their fourth album Héritage arrived in 2025, and a recent documentary series on YouTube gives a close look at the making of it.
