National Geographic Music (National Geographic)

Tinariwen have been chosen to support the Stones in front of a 65,000 strong crowd at Slane Castle, Dublin, Ireland August 18th. Promoters MCD are committed fans of the band and had little hesitation in giving them this opportunity. Rumour has it that other support bands being considered are Guns and Roses and The Black Crowes.

The Taghreft Tinairwen Association, an NGO created by Tinariwen, also recently announced the dates for next year's Essouk Festival. The festival, which runs January 17th-19th 2008, is dedicated to cultivating and spreading the music and culture of the desert regions of Mali and Niger. Kidal, Mali, Tinariwen's hometown, is the site of the festival.

For more information on this upcoming festival, consult http://www.kidal.info/.