In 2012, armed groups took control of northern Mali and banned music. For young musicians from Timbuktu and nearby towns, playing guitar could bring punishment. Some fled south to Bamako. There, four of them formed a band that would take the sound of the north to the world.
The crisis
In 2012, northern Mali fell into conflict. Jihadist groups, including Ansar Dine, took control of towns such as Timbuktu, imposed a strict version of Sharia law and banned cigarettes, alcohol and music.
Exile in Bamako
Guitarist Garba Touré, from Diré near Timbuktu, was forced to leave and moved to Bamako, the capital, in the south. There, he joined Aliou Touré and Oumar Touré, and they formed Songhoy Blues. The band’s name refers to the Songhai people of the north.
Bamako clubs
The band began playing on the Bamako club circuit, attracting Songhai and Tuareg fans who missed the music of home. Their sound mixed desert blues with rock and funk.
Africa Express
In September 2013, Africa Express, a project led by Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz, visited Bamako to record collaborations with Malian musicians. Songhoy Blues auditioned successfully and were introduced to Nick Zinner, the guitarist of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Music in Exile
Working with Zinner, the band recorded their debut album, Music in Exile, released by Transgressive Records on 23 February 2015. In North America, it was released in partnership with Julian Casablancas’s Cult Records and Atlantic Records.
The documentary
The band is one of the main subjects of the documentary They Will Have to Kill Us First, which follows Malian musicians during the music ban and its aftermath.
Their sound
Songhoy Blues play energetic guitar music rooted in the traditions of northern Mali, with influences from rock, blues and funk. Their live shows are known for their joy and power.
Later albums
The band has released further albums and toured internationally, becoming one of the best-known Malian groups of their generation.
A message about freedom
Songhoy Blues’ story is about more than music. It is about the right to play it. Their success abroad sent a message back home: a ban could force musicians out of their towns, but it could not silence them.
The sound of resistance
Every concert they play is, in a sense, a reply to the men who banned music in the north. That may be why their songs, even the happiest ones, carry such urgency.
