At the beginning of February, Talking Gigs brought us an exceptional performance by Ali Farke Touré at Yellow Arch Studios. Coming full circle, last month they gave us another Malian marvel in the form of the wonderful Songhoy Blues and an accompanying documentary.
Songhoy Blues have become increasingly popular in the UK and internationally since Music in Exile was released in February 2015, with its mix of North American guitar riffs, contemporary twangs and signature ‘desert blues’ sound.
The Talking Gigs event, held in an intimate space at Sheffield Students’ Union, opened with a screening of the brilliant They Will Have to Kill Us First. The film brings attention to the jihadist takeover in Northern Mali in 2012, which led to a ban on all music, forcing Mali’s musicians to stop playing their music or flee the country. It follows Songhoy Blues, as well as three other Malian artists – Khaira Arby, Fadimata ‘Disco’ Walet Oumar and Moussa Sidi – as they react to, reflect on and return to Mali after the eventual lifting of the ban.
After the screening, there was a live Q&A with the band and journalist Andy Morgan, who co-wrote the documentary. In between questions, the band performed acoustic versions of tracks from their acclaimed debut album, including ‘Nick’, ‘Petit Metier’ and ‘Al Hassidi Terei’. The small venue and live interaction between documentary, band, music and audience made for a beautifully intimate atmosphere and a feeling that this really was a special event.
As well as the more serious questions posed by the audience, the one which put the most smiles on faces was the very last, from a young woman: “You usually dance while you perform, is that right? Will you stand for this song and we’ll stand with you?”
This was met with wide smiles from the band and cheers from Andy Morgan and the audience, who promptly stood from their chairs and began clapping their hands and dancing as the band played their final and most energetic song of the evening.
The events organised by Talking Gigs truly are a means of education through music and an intimate ‘getting togetherness’ for the audience, as well as a chance for the bands involved to share their often largely unreported stories with a wider audience. What’s not to like?
talkinggigs.co.uk
songhoy-blues.com
Words and Photos: Danielle Mustarde
