Songhoy Blues

One of the newer groups comprised of musicians forced to flee the oppression of Northern Mali, the four-piece Songhoy Blues had a rockier, less traditional sound than their peers. The uplifting, up tempo numbers, driven by heavy drums and bass and boosted by hyperactive frontman Aliou Toure’s infectious stage presence, easily won over the crowd whether with African or American rhythms. A heartfelt tribute was paid to late guitar legend Ali Farka Toure and, after a frenzied final number, the touching ‘Mali’ encore began as a solo piece before the rest of the band returned for a funked-up finish.

Concorde 2, 3 November 2015

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