Songhoy Blues

From the first listening to Héritage, the much-awaited fourth album by Songhoy Blues, it is clear that the rock band from northern Mali are in a new frame of mind. With Héritage, they move into a more acoustic, creative re-imagining of the “desert blues” style that has brought them to world fame.

The Songhoy are an ethnicity living along the bend of the Niger river in northern Mali (their language is Songhai, hence the two spellings that are often used interchangeably). Songhoy music is one of the backbones of the “desert blues” sound. Songhoy Blues pay tribute to some of the great musicians of the past, whose work continues to inspire them, giving ‘a big thank you to the ancestors who bequeathed works of art so that future generations could orient themselves’.

For over a decade, when not on tour, the four members of Songhoy Blues, three of whom are originally from the north, have been based in Bamako, capital of Mali, unable to return to their homeland, where musicians are in real danger of their lives because of religious fanaticism that sees music as a sin.

Their songs deal with issues of life and love in Mali, and are based on five-note scales, rock rhythms, gritty vocals, and glittering guitar. These elements are ever present in their new album Héritage, but with a more intimate groove laced with other sounds from different ethnic traditions from around the country. Migration and forced displacement bring new perspectives to the notion of heritage in their music.

Presented by This Is Tmrw & Leftfoot

This is a 14+ event / U16s accompanied by an adult