Warrington band Viola Beach – Jack Dakin, Kris Leonard, Tomas Lowe, River Reeves and their manager Craig Tarry – tragically passed away on Saturday 13th of February following a road accident in Stockholm, Sweden.
The band had just released their second single ‘Boys That Sing’ through Communion Records. A statement from their record company reads:
‘Viola Beach had only recently come into the Communion family, and had everything going for them – great songs, passion, talent, drive… everything that a band should have. To sit down with the band was to sit down with a group of guys whose band you wanted to be in, and to be in the presence of a band who knew just what it would take to make it. This is why the band had been in Sweden, rather than sit back and wait for it to happen to them, Kris, River, Jack and Tom were determined to go out into the world and play every show they could until the world was singing along with them, and now that dream has been sadly taken away from all of us. Equally, Craig, their manager was possessed by a passion to help the band achieve everything they wanted to, and to speak with Craig about Viola Beach, and music in general was an absolute pleasure – you knew he was doing it all for the right reasons. Everyone here at Communion is in a state of total shock and sorrow, and our thoughts go out to the families and friends of Craig and the band.’
Ian Grimble, who produced ‘Boys That Sing’ said: ‘I first became aware of Viola Beach through their single “Swings & Waterslides” and was very taken by the energy and vibrancy that jumped out of the speakers.
Upon meeting them for the first time, along with Craig their manager, I could soon see why, their exuberance and determination to scream out to the world was overwhelming. This combined with undoubted talent and an incredible work ethic for ones so young made every long hour in the studio from then on very rewarding indeed.
It is with great sadness that we will not be able to see them grow from the spark that they are now, into the raging fire that they so desperately desired to become.
They were a young band who wrote about what they knew, a legacy for new young bands I hope. “And she told me that she loves a boy who knows how to sing, so I learned how to sing” And how they sang.
My thoughts are with their friends and family right now’.
Communion have announced that all proceeds made from the single will be donated from Communion Records to the band and Craig’s families. In the hours since news of the tragedy broke, debut single ‘Swings and Waterslides’ has reached no.5 on the iTunes chart, while ‘Boys That Sing’ has reached no. 30 in the charts.
