Avial (band)

Avial
Avial getting ready to perform at Amphitheatre Katara Cultural Village, Doha (Qatar) in 2020
Background information
Origin	Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
Genres	Alternative rock
Years active	2003–present
Members	Tony John Rex Vijayan Mithun Puthanveetil Binny Isaac
Past members	Anandraj Benjamin Paul Naresh Kamath John P. Varkey C.I. Joffy

Avial are an Indian alternative rock band formed in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India in 2003, and known for their Malayalam lyrics. The band initially included lead vocalist Anandraj Benjamin Paul, guitarist Rex Vijayan, turntablist and backing vocalist Tony John, bassist Naresh Kamath and drummer Mithun Puthanveetil. Avial had their first breakthrough with the 2003 single "Nada Nada". They are known for pioneering what they call "Alternative Malayali rock", which is the style of combining Malayalam lyrics and rock music. Their eponymous album got them six out of seven Jack Daniels Rock Awards and Footprints Young Achiever's Award in 2008. The band was praised for achieving mainstream success despite singing in their native language.

After the departure of Paul and Kamath in 2008, John took over the vocals. Later Binny Isaac joined as bassist. Their debut album covers social issues, consisting of folk songs and poems. In 2009, they collaborated with the Italian band A67 for the song "Chi Me Sape" ("Who Knows Me Knows It"). They composed the singles "Aana Kallan" and "Chillane" for the Malayalam films Salt N' Pepper (2011) and 22 Female Kottayam (2012). They also did three songs for the movie Second Show (2012)