Sidi Touré is a Malian songwriter and guitarist from Gao, a city in the north of Mali, and draws inspiration from traditional music and religion, but is informed by western blues, rock, and culture. The winner of two Malian national awards for best singer, Sidi was leader of Gao’s regional orchestra, The Songhaï Stars, and is a nationally renowned figure in his home country. In 2011, Sidi released Sahel Folk, his debut album for Thrill Jockey, and toured North America for the first time. This tour took him to prestigious venues and festivals, including New York’s Lincoln Center, Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music, and the Chicago World Music Festival. Through Thrill Jockey’s introduction of Sidi to new audiences, he is beginning to achieve well-deserved success and critical acclaim abroad.
In April this year he released Koïma, his second full-length album, which received wide praise from the UK press and from the likes of Songlines magazine. After wowing the crowd with a special guest appearance at the Thrill Jockey anniversary show in London on recently, Sidi Touré, winner of two Malian national awards for best singer, will be heading off for a 11-date European tour stopping off in the UK (London) this week!
Tour Dates
Nov 13th Momo | London, UK Tickets
Nov 14th Cafe Oto | London, UK Tickets
Nov 15th Debaser | Malmö, Sweden
Nov 16th Debaser | Stockholm, Sweden
Nov 17th Stora Teatern | Goteborg, Sweden
Nov 20th Le Violon Dingue | Nantes, France
Nov 22nd Le Pédiluve | Chatenay-Malabry, France
Nov 24th North Sea Jazz Club | Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Nov 27th Sunset | Sunside | Paris, France
Nov 29th Tambour Battant | Genève, Switzerland
Dec 1st Moods | Zurich, Switzerland
“A pleasant Oasis for those who want to explore the desert” – **** Uncut Magazine
“Sahel Folk finds its strength in Simplicity” – **** Downbeat
“Hewn from the same deep scam of desert blues that Ali Farka Toure worked” – ***** Songlines
“Toure’s music is acoustic desert blues that drift between jumpy Tuareg and Songhai rhythms” – *** The Times
‘This is glorious in its unplugged simplicity. Quality stuff’ – Evening Standard