Tinariwen plus support from King Size Slim

The exiled nomads-turned-rock-stars of the Sahara combine traditional Touareg melodies with Malian, Western, Berber and Arabic influences to create spare, evolving, hypnotic songs.

Tinariwen the original Nomadic desert blues-rockers perform as part of Ambition Festival at Fairfield Halls. From the World Cup opening ceremony to the stage of the Grammy Awards and support slots for the Rolling Stones these Taurag former guerilla fighters have reached far beyond their Malian homeland in the Sahara to build a global following for their music.

So powerful are their hypnotic, lonesome songs that their meaning is understood across the world regardless of the language barrier between them and their legions of devotees. Their global journey was further emphasised as this phenomenal band recorded their 2014 album, Emmaar, in the deserts of California's Joshua Tree National Park.

WINNERS OF THE 2011 'WORLD MUSIC' GRAMMY AWARD

'BY THE TIME THE SET CLOSES, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO FEEL THAT ONE HAS EXPERIENCED SOME FORM OF SHAMANIC RITUAL: THE VERY ROOT OF THE ROCK'N'ROLL COMMUNION.”
THE INDEPENDENT , 4/5 STARS

Support comes from the heavyweight acoustic roots sound of 2014 British Blues Award winner King Size Slim.

Ambition Festival
Ambition is an eclectic four-day mix of indoor and outdoor performances and installations in Croydon, the heart of South London.

We've hand picked over 160 acts so far so expect to be absorbed by music, theatre, comedy, dance, and the visual arts.

The five outdoor stages around the town centre will be free of charge, but evening shows in the Fairfield Halls and some other venues will require tickets.

With around 30 performance spaces you'll find something amazing around every corner.