“We’re an African band who make hard rock. Before Songhoy Blues, you’d never hear anyone do this. It’s like a little Rolling Stones from Mali”: Songhoy Blues’ Garba Touré created his own crossover guitar style – now he’s changing it up again

Garba Touré.

When Songhoy Blues hit the international airwaves with Music In Exile in 2015, they quickly made a name for themselves – not only as a formidable new force in desert blues, but also as a powerful voice of resistance in a nation deeply affected by civil unrest.

Hailing from Diré, near Timbuktu in northern Mali, guitarist Garba Touré was among thousands forced to flee their homes in 2012, amid the rise of militant groups who imposed strict interpretations of Islamic law, deeming music to be – haram, a sin.