With dusty desert blues scales, shimmering guitar work and unwavering solidarity, Songhoy Blues are determined to carry forward the endangered musical heritage of regime-controlled northern Mali. Formerly part of Damon Albarn’s Africa Express and having performed at festivals including Roskilde and Glastonbury, the world has eagerly awaited the quartet’s fourth album, Héritage (2025) – an outstanding release they bring with them when they take the stage at ALICE this October. Danish-Gambian duo Ba Balance will open the evening.

The Songhoy people live along the bend of the Niger River in northern Mali, and Songhoy music is one of the cornerstones of the sound commonly associated with “desert blues”. With a deep love and dedication to this musical heritage, the quartet Songhoy Blues burst onto the scene in 2013 with a raw and energetic style that has since been described as “Timbuktu Punk”. Their songs draw on life and love in Mali, combining dusty blues scales, driving rock rhythms, call-and-response vocals and shimmering guitar work. But their music is also deeply rooted in a history of life in exile. For more than a decade, the band has been based in Bamako, as musicians in their home region of northern Mali risk their lives due to religious fanaticism that considers music haram – a sin.

Early in their career, Songhoy Blues became part of Damon Albarn’s Africa Express project, which brought Albarn and other Western musicians to Mali to record with local bands. Songhoy Blues were paired with Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner, and the collaboration proved so fruitful that Zinner went on to produce their debut album, Music in Exile (2015). Since then, the band has played countless shows around the world and released four studio albums. Their latest and long-awaited record, Héritage (2025), opens a new chapter. Drawing on the extraordinary musical richness of Bamako, the album blends the band’s characteristic rock sound with African instruments including kora, soku, kamalengoni, flute, Senufo xylophone and calabash percussion. On Héritage, Songhoy Blues explore what tradition means when cultures meet and people are forced into displacement. Migration and exile have opened up new perspectives on their musical heritage, while social critique remains woven throughout their songs. And yet, Songhoy Blues know better than most how to turn a concert into a celebration – experience it for yourself when they perform at ALICE this October.

Ba Balance
Sink into a world of electrifying desert guitar, infectious riffs and groovy African percussion as Ba Balance take over ALICE. Featuring Danish guitarist Preben Carlsen and Gambian percussionist Sal Dibba, the duo explores countless African musical expressions with an unstoppable curiosity, weaving together psychedelia, jazz and blues. Expect sparkling musicianship and a rare musical interplay when they take the stage this evening.