Songhoy Blues

The band, who recently completed a run of ecstatically received shows at this year’s SxSW Festival in Austin, Texas and currently on their first US tour, have announced details of  their biggest London show to date at Koko in November. This date follows a sold out show at Oslo in Hackney in February and an already sold out show at Village Underground in May.

They Will have To Kill Us First, a film featuring Songhoy Blues which documents the current struggle faced by musicians in Mali, also received its premiere at this year’s SxSW Festival. Watch the trailer here:

Hailing from the town of Gao in north-eastern Mali, they came together in Bamako naming themselves in celebration of their displaced Songhoy people and culture. Their break came in September 2013 when French music manager Marc-Antoine Moreau was in the city to scout for musical talent on behalf of Africa Express and subsequently the band were invited to record a song with Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs - the track, Soubour, ended up as a stand-out track on the Africa Express album, Maison des Jeunes.

Their debut album, Music In Exile, also produced by Zinner, was released to widespread acclaim in February of this year, and is set for release in the US on Atlantic Records in the spring.

Praise for Music In Exile:

Etching out their own groove – 4/5 Daily Telegraph

They have all the makings of African-rock crossover heroes – 5/5 The Guardian

Thrilling and vital young African band – 4/5 Mail on Sunday

Persuasively propulsive as anything so far released this year – 4/5 Independent

Set to take London by storm – 4/5 Eve Standard

If you thought guitar music was dead, think again – 4/5 Daily Mirror

A triumph – Observer

A masterpiece, blending American guitar licks with Malian groove – 8/10 NME

Incredibly rousing and intense – 4/5 Mojo

Grit, urgency and delicacy in abundance – 4/5 Q