'Language has been our forte'

Everyone has a special connect to music, but for this particular band, music is their voice. ‘Avial’ is one of the most sought-after Indian bands today, transcending genres and justifying the term ‘Alternative Malayalam Rock’.

  
With various elements of Indie rock and folk music underlying the electronic feel, the band has overcome language barriers by drawing fans from across the globe.

Tony John, on the vocals, Rex Vijayan, on guitars and synthesiser, Binny Isaac, on bass and Mithun Puthanveetil, on drums, performed at Phoenix MarketCity recently.

Aditya Jha, the manager, said that the band always has a great time performing in the City. “Bengaluru is one of the best cities as it has a huge musical crowd. The band always enjoys playing in the City as they get to perform not just for the Malayali crowd but for other music lovers as well.”

Over the years, the band has performed for various gigs, concerts and corporate events around the country.

With their socio-political themed lyrics, they produce music in the form of storytelling.

“Language has been our forte. We like to keep it pure and powerful so that it somehow connects with the audience,” Aditya says.

While they were one of the first ones to bring out the concept of alternative rock in Malayalam, the band is happy to see that many others have followed behind, both individually and as a group.

They’re also quite excited that the music connects not only with the Malayalis but also with people around the country.

They say, “We’ve been touring around the country for a while now. It’s wonderful to go to places like Gujarat, Delhi and Kolkata where the Malayali population is less. With the kind of music we play and the amalgamation of Malayalam and English lyrics we have in the songs, it gels well with the crowd.”

Whenever they catch a break, they all make sure that they hang out and unwind. “We are also busy with our personal lives but we make sure that we come together often and joke around. We also enjoy just lazing around and doing absolutely nothing — one of our inspirations to the future projects and lyrics!” adds Aditya.

They hope to come to Bengaluru for a longer period and gorge on the plethora of restaurants the City has to offers.