Songhoy Blues

Concorde 2, Madeira Drive, Brighton, Tuesday, November 3

“MUSIC is a door open to the Western world. Everything that can be related to the Western world is banned – so music is a part of that. They don’t even allow music on the radio. They want the people not to be in touch or contact with the Western world.”

Garba Toure, lead guitarist with Songhoy Blues, is explaining why he and his fellow bandmates were forced to flee their homes in Northern Mali in 2012 after Islamic jihadist hijacked a revolution by the Tuareg people.

With the jihadists came sharia law, which included the banning of music.

Johanna Schwartz’s recent documentary on music during the Malian crisis, They Will Have To Kill Us First, tells the stories of people abandoning their homes to go south and of jihadists destroying instruments and records on raids.

The film also traces the journey of Songhoy Blues – who met as refugees in Bamako – and follows them to playing London’s Royal Albert Hall.

“It’s a fact that this band exists because of this trouble,” says bassist Oumar Toure, who got together with Garba, vocalist Aliou Toure and drummer Nathanael Dembele as a wedding band.

It was when Damon Albarn’s Africa Express came to Bamako in 2013 that their music reached Western ears.

“Nick Zinner [of Yeah Yeah Yeahs] really liked what we were doing,” says Oumar. “He went into the studio with us to record Soubour.”

The song not only opened that year’s Africa Express compilation, it went on to open the band’s debut album on Transgressive Records Music In Exile.

“We had a really good experience,” adds Garba of the ensuing recording sessions which brought together the full album.

“Nick brought some very good advice on the songs. He set things up more properly. It was a very new experience – we didn’t have much experience of recording. Nick helped bring that on.”

The band paid tribute by writing a song in his honour – Nick.

Playing typical hour-long sets in the West is a big contrast to the four-hour concerts the quartet played in Bamako.

“We’re now able to give in half-an-hour what we were able to give in four hours,” says Oumar. “It’s the intensity and choice of songs to play which express the way forward.

“It’s really about the message – it’s really important to spread the message and for people to try to understand the message. The best way is to put people in a happy thing, and make them dance. It’s a much better way to teach people. The text of the songs is not happy.”

Indeed the songs themselves sound extremely upbeat – with the characteristic Malian desert blues guitar groove augmented by upbeat percussion and handclaps on album opener Soubour.

But lyrically the songs address the political situation – with the stripped back closing track Mali addressing a former president of the country to see what he thinks of the situation today, and the uber-catchy call and response of Al Hassidi Terei attacking selfishness among the people.

Having already played Brighton as part of The Great Escape last May the band is looking forward to returning.

"Now people are starting to listen to the music and understand it," says Garba.

"It's pleasant for them and a bigger honour for us to see people are getting onto the same page as us."

Going forward the band wants to be optimistic.

“This war will not be forever,” says Oumar. “We hope we can go back to the north and live a real life there.

“We really want to tell people about the situation and about Mali – to make people aware of what is happening. The more people are aware, the more we are able to find a solution.”

But they also have a message for their fellow countrymen.

“Everything still keeps going,” says Garba.

“Water still goes into the river, the wind is still blowing. Everyone needs to be positive and active – and not wait for people to act but act themselves, to go back to work.

“It’s not finished – everything is possible.”

Doors 7.30pm, tickets £12. Call 01273 673311.