Pitchfork

Photo by Youri Lenquette

On record, the blind Malian husband-and-wife duo Amadou & Mariam flit gorgeously all over the aesthetic map, from the lush, regal Afropop of "Senegal Fast-Food" to the glittering synth-pop of "Sabali", Pitchfork's #15 track of 2008. Onstage, though, they straight-up rock the fuck out. Amadou, it turns out, is a slick showman guitar-hero in the B.B. King mold, and Mariam wails the roof off. It's basically impossible to walk out of one of their shows feeling bad, as plenty of people across North America will find out this summer.

A couple of weeks ago, we reported that Amadou & Mariam would open a few shows on Coldplay's mammoth North American summer tour. But fortunately, the duo will also have time to play a few headlining shows in the U.S. and Canada. Before that starts, though, they'll spend the next couple of months touring Europe.

Dates:

02-18 Brussels, Belgium - Ancienne Belgique
02-19 Berlin, Germany - Kesselhaus
02-20 Munich, Germany - Muffathalle
02-21 Lausanne, Switzerland - Les Docks
02-24 Brighton, England - Concorde 2
02-25 London, England - Pure Groove (free in-store)
02-25 London, England - KOKO
02-26 Bristol, England - Bristol Academy
02-28 Edinburgh, Scotland - Picturehouse
03-01 Dublin, Ireland - Vicar Street
03-19 Montpellier, France - Rockstore
03-20 Toulouse, France - Bikini
03-21 Lyon, France - Transbordeur
03-24 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
03-25 Luxembourg, Luxembourg - Den Atelier
03-26 Lille, France - Aeronef
03-28 Amiens, France - Jazz a Amiens
06-02 Chicago, IL - Park West
06-04 Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix Concert Theatre
06-05 Montreal, Quebec - Metropolis
06-06 Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
06-08 New York, NY - Webster Hall
06-10 Alexandria, VA - Birchmere
07-10 Ridgefield, WA - The Amphitheater at Clark County *
07-11 George, WA - The Gorge Amphitheatre *
07-13 Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphiteatre *
07-16 Chula Vista, CA - Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre *
07-18 Carson, CA - Home Depot Center *
07-21 Dallas, TX - Superpages.com Center *
07-22 The Woodlands, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion *
07-24 Maryland Heights, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater *

* with Coldplay