Indie Band Viola Beach And Manager Die In Car Crash

British Indie Pop group Viola Beach’s members and their manager were killed in a car crash on Saturday, 13th February in Sweden. The group members were Kris Leonard, River Reeves, Tomas Lowe and Jack Dakin and their manager was Craig Tarry.

The accident occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning. The group’s car drove through a barrier stopping vehicles as a drawbridge opened and crashed into a channel running through Stockholm’s Sodertalje district.  The car hit a road barrier and plunged more than 80ft off a bridge into a canal. One day before the accident, the group performed at the ‘Where’s the Music?’ festival in Norrköping. Next month, they were scheduled to play at South by Southwest.

The five men, aged between 19 and 35, were paid tribute by fans worldwide through social media.

In a statement issued by the Foreign Office, Reeves’ family added: “River had such talent and such humility, such charm and such innocence it seems unfair that he can be taken so cruelly from us like this. A statement from relatives of vocalist Kris Leonard read: “Words cannot express the sadness we feel at the loss of our precious Kristian. He was doing the job he loved and will be missed so much by his family and friends.” Bassist Tomas Lowe’s family said his life had been “tragically cut short”, calling him the “best son, brother, uncle and friend you could ever wish for”. The family of Craig Tarry, who managed the band, confirmed the deaths in another statement. “Craig was a warm, loving person who had worked tirelessly to achieve success and follow his dreams within the music industry.”

“According to witness reports, the brake lights on the car were not operated, so it seems they simply didn’t see that the bridge was open,” Inspector Martin Bergholm said, according to Aftonbladet newspaper. Witnesses quoted in Swedish media said the car drove at full speed past other stationary cars and disappeared into the darkness.

Frontman Kris Leonard was working as a cleaner before getting successful with the group. The Warrington based British group was formed in 2013 and released two singles “Swings and Waterslides" and "Boys That Sing" / "Like a Fool".

The loss of a promising young band is indeed a loss to the music industry, but their fans are confident of keeping their music always alive.