Fans of rock band Viola Beach are remembering its stars on the 10th anniversary of their deaths.
Formed in Warrington in 2013, the indie group consisted of Kris Leonard (vocals, guitar), River Reeves (guitar), Tomas Lowe (bass), and Jack Dakin (drums).
On February 13, 2016, all four members, along with their manager Craig Tarry, died when their car fell from a bridge in Södertälje, Sweden.
Leonard, Reeves, and Dakin were all aged 19, Lowe was 27, and Tarry was 33.
They were on their first overseas tour at the time, having performed just one day earlier at the Where’s the Music? Festival in Norrköping before making their way back to their hotel at Arlanda Airport at around 2am.
Swedish Police opened an inquiry, ultimately calling the tragedy ‘completely inexplicable’, while a subsequent inquest in the UK recorded a verdict of ‘road traffic collision’ after the Nissan Qashqai clipped a stationary vehicle, drove through closed barriers, and fell 30m into the Södertälje Canal through a gap.
It is believed that bassist Lowe initially survived the impact before drowning, while all others died from head injuries on impact. Tarry was driving.
Today, the band’s official social media pages shared a tribute to the late performers, prompting thousands of comments.
‘It’s 10 years today since we lost Kris, River, Tom, Jack & Craig,’ a post read alongside a black and white photo.
‘They’re forever in our hearts. Never to be forgotten ❤️ x’, the post concluded.
In disbelief that a decade had passed, commenters penned sweet words honouring their legacy and influence on the industry.
@_mike_moor_ wrote on Instagram: ‘Still as relevant today as they were 10 years ago. I can hear the influence of Viola Beach in so many bands that are about today 🙌 🌈🕊️❤️’
‘Still listen to these boys to this day! Absolute legends. They will never be forgotten ❤️’, said @samsgram94.
@howarth.lee said they have ‘danced around [the] kitchen with [their] kids’ to the tune Swings & Waterslides ‘many, many times’, a song initially released in 2015 but which peaked at 11 in the UK Singles Chart after their deaths.
@alexmondragon75 echoed that Viola Beach’s tunes are ‘still on [their] playlist’, and @kjoe7 called them, ‘a band I wish I got to see live’.
‘I can’t believe it’s been 10 years 😓’, added @a.void.reality.
‘Never forgotten. The nicest bunch of lads and so talented. Love to you all today x ❤️’, wrote @lornamedia.
On July 29, 2016, Viola Beach’s self-titled album was released posthumously. It reached number one in the UK that August.
Their other songs included Boys That Sing, which entered the Singles Chart the week after the fatal crash.
Viola Beach had a promising future ahead of them, having been due to support Blossoms on a UK and Ireland tour in early 2016.
They had also been booked to play at the South by Southwest festival in Texas that year, as well as the Great Escape Festival and T in the Park, plus gigs in their hometown venues.
Several big names in the music industry got involved with tributes, with Liam Gallagher and Ian Brown supporting a fan-organised campaign to boost Viola Beach’s sales, with all proceeds from their single donated to the victims’ families.
And in April 2016, the Kooks, the Courteeners, the Coral, and Blossoms performed at a tribute concert at Warrington’s Parr Hall. The Zutons also put in a rare live appearance, while Coldplay covered Boys That Sing at Glastonbury that June.
Most recently, a tribute was unveiled in Warrington’s Golden Square to mark 10 years since the band and Tarry died.
The installation in the Old Market Square is shaped like a ‘V’ and made from rainbow umbrellas, a nod to the rainbow umbrellas they held in a photoshoot, which became symbolic in the wake of their deaths.
‘Viola Beach will always be part of Warrington’s story,’ said Ian Cox, centre director at Golden Square. ’10 years on, their music and their spirit still mean so much to so many people.
‘We wanted to create something visible in the Old Market Square where the band played that feels thoughtful and hopeful, a simple tribute that honours Kris, River, Tomas, Jack, and Craig and gives people a moment to pause, reflect, and remember.’
Speaking publicly for the first time since losing his son, Ian Piers Dakin, the father of drummer Jack, told Warrington Worldwide that the anniversary will always be painful.
‘I reckon the pain and loss will feel exactly the same in the next 20 or 30 years’ time,’ he admitted, having had some of his son’s ashes mixed into ink and tattooed into a portrait of him on his back.
Meanwhile, Ben Dunne, father of River Reeves, shared with BBC Radio Manchester that his son and his bandmates ‘dared to dream’ big, despite his apprehension about his son ditching university for the group.
‘He said, “But dad, we are going to do amazing things; we’ve got a great album that is going to go to number one”,’ the proud father recalled.
Dunne and his partner, Sharon, ultimately vowed to support Reeves after listening to a recording of their song Boys That Sing.
‘That was it. I thought, “Blimey, dare to dream, Riv; go and do it.”
‘And of course that’s what he and the lads did. And what a legacy they have left us.’
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