Kerala-based Avial’s last album was released seven years ago. If you’re eagerly waiting for one anytime soon, you might just have to wait longer. Instead, watch them live at Phoenix MarketCity this weekend. The four member band that includes Rex Vijayan, John, Mithun Puthanveetil and Binny Isaac are certainly the flavour of the regional rock music scene.
While Avial’s songs are known for their poetry and social message, the members are famous for sporting veshtis on stage. Ahead of their performance, lead vocalist Tony John spoke about the band being a role model for Malayalam rock music and, of course, their songs.
Do you believe that Avial has truly broken the language barrier; that music transcends beyond language?
Have to say, guess we have. It’s really flattering to see and come across listeners from all over the country and the world appreciating your work. We have non-Malayalis in our shows who sing along with us!
When can we expect Avial’s next album? And will it also include songs with social messages?
That’s a tough one. We shall come out with an official announcement as soon as we are ready. And yes, most of the times our songs have social messages (‘Aadu Paambe’). We think it comes very naturally to us when we sit and think about subjects.
Does Avial plan on scoring music for more films? So have albums taken a backseat?
The album is taking a lot of time, but we still believe in that format of making music and putting it out. We did films ( Salt N' Pepper in 2011 and 22 Female Kottayam in 2012) which demanded the kind of sound and compositions we have. Plus, the songs were appropriate for those films and the filmmakers also happened to be our friends. It was never a conscious or a desperate decision.
Avial has been touring a lot — how much do you play back home though?
We’ve always played more outside Kerala than in Kerala. But now, the live music scene is very active all over the state. The number of shows for us has also gone up recently.
The Malayalam rock scene has grown by leaps. Would you say that you were a huge influence?
Yes, probably. Who would have thought of doing Malayalam Rock 10 years back? In fact, not just in Kerala, but a lot of bands all over the country later started singing in their mother tongue. And we think that’s really great.
Is the average Malayali listener still oblivious to bands which produce music that is non-commercial?
We are not very sure about that. But there are a lot of good independent bands and artistes in Kerala and all over the country. And social media is really helping them reach out to their section of listeners and the masses. What’s more important is the attention span of the listener which is getting shorter by the day. And there is also more quantity today than quality.
Avial will perform at Phoenix MarketCity on April 26 at 7 p.m.
