Last year at Latitude, the Uncut Arena played host to one of Africa’s very finest bands, Tinariwen. This year, we’re thrilled to welcome their Malian compatriots, Amadou And Mariam, who’ll be headlining our stage on the Friday night at Latitude.

Having seen their show at the Roundhouse a year or two back, I can vouch for the fact that they’re a pretty exhilarating live experience. If you haven’t come across the duo thus far, Mariam Doumbia and Amadou Bagayoko are a married couple who met as children at Mali’s Institute For The Young Blind. Both sing, and Amadou is a tremendous guitar player, too.

Malian music has been intensively hip for the past few years in global music circles. But Amadou And Mariam are a poppier and more cosmopolitan proposition than most of their contemporaries. Their last album, “Dimanche A Bamako” was produced by the ubiquitous Manu Chao, and became, if memory serves, one of the biggest-selling African records of all time. Expect plenty of the fantastic party tunes from that set at Latitude – especially, I hope, “Taxi Bamako”.