Tinariwen announce new album and Dublin show

Desert blues band Tinariwen have announced their 10th studio album, Hoggar, set for release on March 13 via the band’s own label, Wedge.

Tinariwen is a collective of Tuareg musicians from the Sahara region of southern Algeria and northern Mali, that combine traditional Tuareg and African music with Western rock music.

The group have been nominated for three Grammy Awards, with their album Tassili winning the award for Best World Music Album in 2012.

Hoggar is an 11-track album that focuses on the current social and political issues affecting the Tuareg people and northern Mali. The record sees lead singers Ibrahim and Abdallah sing together for the first time in over 30 years

Alongside the album announcement, Tinariwen have released Hoggar’s first single, 'Sagherat Assan', a traditional Sudanese song featuring vocals from Sudanese artist Sulafa Elyas.

“The female voice is very important in traditional Tuareg music, but it is increasingly hard to find female singers today owing to restrictions placed on them being allowed to sing and train,” said producer Patrick Votan.

“We were lucky to find singers like Sulafa as well as Wonou Walet Sidati, who used to record and tour with Tinariwen in the past, and Nounou Kaola, who also features on this album.”

Tinariwen will play Dublin's 3Olympia Theatre on May 25. Tickets are available now at Ticketmaster.ie.

• Watch the music video for 'Sagherat Assan' below: