The film of Mdou Moctar's concert at the edge of the Sahara desert is a thing of joy and magic

Ahead of the tour to support this year's Funeral For Justice album, Nigerien desert rocker Mdou Moctar has released 45 minutes of live film shot in the historic centre of Agadez, a city on the southern edge of the Sahara desert in Niger. It's wonderful, with the stirring music augmented by men on camels, dancers and swordsmen.

The city centre dates back to the 15th and 16th centuries and was declared a World Heritage Site in 2013. The site contains numerous earthen dwellings including a 27-metre-high minaret made entirely of mud brick – the highest such structure in the world – and Sultan's Palace, built in the first half of the 15th century. The footage was shot during a trip to the city last winter.

"On our last day together in Agadez, we showed up to the Sultan’s palace, set up, and then waited around for a few hours," says producer and bass player Mikey Coltun. "Was the show gonna happen?

"Maybe a few hours later, 15-20 men riding camels showed up. I didn't count because I was so shocked Mdou was able to pull it off – calling this random guy we met in the desert with some camels, who then made some calls to get a bunch of Tuaregs (the youngest was probably 5 years old) to ride out from their village 3-5 hours away to be there for this special performance! Holy shit.

"When we started playing, Tuaregs dressed in traditional Agadez clothing armed with hand drums started dancing and drumming. There were even a couple friends of ours who showed up with some swords and performed a traditional dance together as we played. This was all totally unplanned. Mdou, Ahmoudou, Souleymane and I are all wearing the signature Mdou Moctar colors - Tuareg purple mixed with white, which is the same colour of the Mdou Moctar bird symbol."

Mdou Moctar's European tour kicks off tomorrow (August 16) at the De Coura Festival in Paredes, Portugal, with UK dates beginning at the end of the month, followed by North American shows in October. Full dates below.

Mdou Moctar: Funeral For Justice tour 2024

Aug 16: Paredes De Coura Fesrtival, Portugal
Aug 19: Berlin Festaal Kreuzberg, Germany
Aug 20: Leipzig UT Connewitz, Germany
Aug 21: Munich Ampere, Germany
Aug 22: Milan Magnolia Summer Stage, Italy
Aug 25: Paris Petit Bain, France
Aug 26: Antwerp OLT Revierenhof, Belgium
Aug 27: Koln Gebaude 9, Germany
Aug 28: Amsterdam Paradiso, Netherlands
Aug 30: Dorset End of the Road Festival, UK
Aug 31: Manchester Manchester Psych Fest, UK
Sep 01: Birmingham Moseley Folk Festival, UK
Sep 02: Glasgow Saint Luke’s, UK
Sep 03: Newcastle Boiler Shop, UK
Sep 04: Leeds The Brudenell Social Club, UK

Oct 03: Jersey City White Eagle Hall, NJ*
Oct 04: Westerly The Knickerbocker Music Center, RI*
Oct 05: Woodstock Bearsville Theater, NY
Oct 06: Burlington Higher Ground, VT^
Oct 07: Montreal Le National, QC^
Oct 08: Ottawa The Bronson Centre, ON^
Oct 09: Toronto The Concert Hall, ON^
Oct 11: Columbus The Athenaeum Theatre, OH
Oct 12: Grand Rapids The Pyramid Scheme, MI
Oct 13: Madison Majestic Theatre, WI
Oct 14: Minneapolis First Avenue, MN
Oct 16: Omaha The Waiting Room Lounge, NE+
Oct 17: Denver Gothic Theatre, CO+
Oct 18: Salt Lake City Metro Music Hall, UT+
Oct 19: Boise Treefort Music Hall, ID+
Oct 22: Seattle The Crocodile, WA+
Oct 23: Portland Revolution Hall, OR+
Oct 25: San Francisco The Regency Ballroom, CA+
Oct 26: Los Angeles Teragram Ballroom, CA+
Oct 28: Phoenix Crescent Ballroom, AZ+
Oct 29: Albuquerque El Rey Theatre, NM+
Oct 31: Austin Levitation Festival, TX
Nov 02: Mexico City Hipnosis Festival, Mexico

* with The Messthetics
^ with The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis
+ with Rosali

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