On May 24 at 5:00 PM, the Armenian alternative folk rock band Lav Eli, invited from Armenia, performed at Budapest’s Erzsébet Square. The performance took place as part of the “Armenian-Korean Days”, on the final day of the festival. The multicultural audience warmly welcomed the band, who in turn dedicated each song to different nationalities present at the concert.

A few days before the performance, Lav Eli met with Armenian youth in Budapest at the Armenian Cultural Center. The evening featured a Q&A session, discussions about song lyrics, and a short acoustic performance.

Lav Eli is an Armenian alternative folk rock band and one of the most renowned rock groups in the country. It was founded in 1996 in Vanadzor. With nearly 30 years of rich history, Lav Eli combines Western rock with a distinctive Armenian sound. The band’s albums have become an essential part of the Armenian underground music scene. Lav Eli has released several classic hits such as “Your Eyes,” “I Found You in Heaven,” and “The Beginning,” along with newer fan favorites like “Anzrevashun” (Rainy Autumn), “Arevin, Arevin” (To the Sun, To the Sun), and “The Day We Met”. Many of the band’s songs have been featured in films and TV series.

The founders of Lav Eli are Mher Manukyan and Gor Mkhitaryan, former members of the Vanadzor-based band “SNEQ” (Neo-Existentialist Chrestomathy of Love). They invited Davit Grigoryan (drums) and Alex Avetisyan (bass/vocals) from the local band “ALK,” with the latter later replaced by Vahe Terteryan, also from “ALK.”

In 1997, Lav Eli released its “First GOOD Album,” which featured 21 tracks—10 in English and 11 in Armenian. The following year, they released “Essays”, their next album. Both records were successful, received radio airplay across Armenia, and had several songs charting for extended periods. The band’s popularity grew through live performances and television appearances. However, the band went on hiatus in 1999, as members pursued individual projects.

Lav Eli reunited in 2004 and recorded Notes from Vanadzor: Urban Armenian Rock with American label Pomegranate Music. The album was highly acclaimed internationally and became a fan favorite.

In 2011, the band returned with a new lineup: Mher Manukyan, Bagrat Aznauryan (guitar, backing vocals), Tigran Voskanian (bass), and Shogher Manukyan (cello). Lav Eli returned to the studio in 2018 to record the album Anzrevashun, released digitally and widely praised in Armenia. Following this, they released the single “Arevin, Arevin” with an animated music video featuring Armine Hayrapetyan.

In 2019, Lav Eli and Bambir performed a joint concert at the “Ayrarat” Cinema in Yerevan, which local media called the “rock concert of the year.” In 2022, the two bands joined forces once again and filled the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex—the first time in Armenian rock history that such a feat had been accomplished.

Lav Eli continues to actively perform and is currently working on their long-awaited next album.

Current members: Mher Manukyan (guitar/vocals), Gor Mkhitaryan (guitar/vocals), Gor Tadevosyan (electric guitar, backing vocals), Tigran Voskanian (bass), Narek Tovmasyan (drums) and Shogher Manukyan (cello).

“Twenty-five years after their first performance, Lav Eli continues to enrich Armenian folk rock, delighting three generations of listeners.”
— Raffi Meneshian, founder of Pomegranate Music, official GRAMMY voter from The Recording Academy, contributor to Global Rhythm magazine.

“For 25 years, through ups and downs, long silences and wild concerts, old classics and new beloved songs, Lav Eli remains one of the pioneers of local rock. Their only secret is that they are loved.”
— Lusine Jalalyan, VNEWS Culture

Article written by: Shogher Manukyan, Project code: 2024-1-HU01-ESC51-VTJ-000207879

Photos by: Shogher Manukyan, Project code: 2024-1-HU01-ESC51-VTJ-000207879