Songhoy Blues

Songhoy Blues is a desert blues band from Bamako, formed by refugees from northern Mali. Their music pays tribute to centuries-old Songhoy traditions in a contemporary interpretation they now bring to Grounds.

The band broke through in 2013 with an energetic style once described as 'Timbuktu Punk'. Their songs explore life and love in Mali, built around five-note scales, rock rhythms, raw vocals and sparkling guitar. On their new album Héritage, that energy remains, but with a more intimate groove and sounds from different ethnic traditions of the country. Migration and forced displacement give new meaning to the concept of heritage.

The album features both new compositions and reworked classics, woven through with traditional instruments played by Malian masters: kora, soku, kamalengoni, flute, Senufo xylophone and calabash percussion. A steel guitar also appears unexpectedly, with a sound eerily close to the voice of the desert.

Tickets: early bird € 20, regular € 22.50, at the door € 25.