Oumar Touré, Aliou Touré, Garba Touré and Nathaniel “NAT” Dembele are Songhoy Blues – all hail from Gao in the north Of Mali. With growing unrest in the north of Mali these young men and their families were forced to take refuge in the southern town of Bamako. They turned crisis into opportunity by forming a band which they baptized Songhoy Blues in celebration of their displaced people and culture and soon became a popular fixture on the Bamako live music scene.

Their recent concert at the City Recital Hall started out somewhat subdued, but lead singer/guitarist, Aliou Touré promised the packed theater that they would all be dancing in the aisles long before the end of the show….and they did. It was then you realized it was the kind of energy they were used to feeding off in Africa. While Garba’s flying guitar solos created murals along the theatre walls and ceiling in typical Farka Touré and Hendrix fashion, singer Aliou danced and worked the crowd into a frenzy, leaving stoic Oumar to hold the fort laying down some solid bass. Nathaniel on drums created the rhythmical patterns that lifted City Recital Hall from it’s foundations and dropped it smack bang in the middle of Africa, serving up smoking hot desert blues like we were caught up in a spiritual revival.

Songhoy Blues appear in the acclaimed new film documenting Malian musician’s fight with extremist forces that have seen music banned in much of the country. “They Will Have To Kill Us First: Malian Music In Exile. premiered at Austin South By Southwest Film Fest 2015.

A great time was had by a crowd of all ages and from across the Sydney social demographic.

Well done Songhoy Blues – Warriors for African Music.

PJ – Dial Afrika