The Avisi

There is a long tradition of rock music born in Wales, from Tom Jones and Badfinger to the Stereophonics and the Super Furry Animals. Picking up this banner for the next generation is South Wales rock band, The Avisi.

The Avisi’s persistent road to success began when singer Carl Ward and lead guitarist Gavin Powell started working together in a cover band in Swansea. They played all the small clubs and bars, finding their own niche doing innovative covers of Snow Patrol and Madonna. Over time, Gavin’s songwriting had begun to flourish and Carl’s status as South Wales' premier frontman began to grow. Driven by a desire to find their own sound, the pair soon decided to break free of the cover band stigma and form their own band. With the addition of Nikki Hicks on bass and Gavin’s younger brother Lee Powell on drums, The Avisi found their rhythm.

They toured South Wales in 2009 polishing their stage show and honing their sound. By 2010, the band had released their first single, “Alternative Love Song”. The song found traction on BBC Radio and garnered the attention of renowned British director Jason Figgis who wanted to use the song for his opus short film and ultimately decided it should be the first music video for The Avisi.

In 2011, The Avisi began a dynamic social network campaign securing thousands of followers to their website as well as their Facebook and Twitter accounts. This campaign garnered the attention of fans worldwide and it wasn’t long before their hard work began paying off. They got the attention of record executives and in June 2012 the band signed an exclusive worldwide management and publishing deal with Los Angeles based Red Dragon Management.

This success has only pushed the band to work even harder. The second half of 2012 will see The Avisi continuing their festival tour of the UK and finishing their first full album due at the end of the year.