The beloved indie band Viola Beach is remembered six years after their tragic death in Sweden
The music world mourned today after six years after the loss of the beloved indie band Viola Beach and their manager.
The Warrington Band – Kris Leonard, 19, River Reeves, 19, Tomas Lowe, 27, and Jack Dakin, 19 – and their manager Craig Tarry, 32, who were all killed when their hired Nissan Qashqai crashed from a bridge in a canal in Stockholm , Sweden, after driving through two barriers on a motorway.
The tragedy on February 13, 2016 remains a largely unexplained accident after a forensic pathologist during an examination of the deaths said he did not think it would ever be known exactly what happened.
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But today – six years after the tragedy – music fans around the world, and friends and followers of the band, still mourn the loss, while remembering their music, reports Cheshire Live.
And fundraisers in the band’s memory are expected to help young bands in Manchester and beyond to fulfill their potential and achieve their dreams, as Viola Beach did.
To mark the anniversary, a limited edition of the rainbow vinyl edition of Viola Beach’s self-titled album was released on February 11 by Fuller Beans Records.
Its rainbow design pays homage to a rainbow umbrella that the boys were once photographed with for a press photo.
The band’s family members and fans all hope that the release will put Viola Beach’s music on the vinyl list.
In the months following their deaths – in April 2016 – several of the band’s friends, influencers and charts performed at a tribute concert held in their memory at Parr Hall in Warrington – including Blossoms, the Courteeners, the Coral, the Kooks and the Zutons.
Their only studio album ‘Viola Beach’ was released posthumously in July 2016 and reached number one on the UK charts on 12 August following a public campaign to increase sales.
The singles “Boys That Sing” and “Swings And Roundabouts” also appeared on the UK singles charts, the latter debuting at number 11.
But their legacy did not end there.
That same year, Coldplay honored the late band by covering ‘Boys That Sing’ during their title game at the Glastonbury Festival.
Reading and Leeds festivals also paid tribute to the BBC Introducing set, where the boys had performed the previous year.
In memory of his talent and passion, the River Reeves family founded the River Reeves Foundation, which aims to help other musicians fulfill their dreams as he did.
Since its inception in 2016, the foundation has been a strong and passionate campaigner and fundraiser for a variety of purposes.
On the 12-month day of 2017, Arriva Buses launched five buses in Warrington, one of which was a recording studio, with the names of the four late music stars and their manager.
Reeves’ father, Ben Dunne, organized a music event called RivFest 2017.
The festival was created to inspire the next generation of artists and encourage them to pursue their dreams.
The three-day festival returned in the summer of 2021 to Warrington’s Golden Square Shopping Center after a hiatus caused by a pandemic, and included performances from acts such as ex-Hacienda DJ Graeme Park and the rock band Everything Everything.
In 2016, Ben, along with five close friends – known as Riv’s Riders – raised £ 15,000 for the foundation by cycling from Penzance to Warrington.
This year, they will take part in the foundation’s giant 330km Tour Du Mont Blanc route, with the goal of raising £ 50,000 to support the launch of a program in September with Manchester-based Royal Northern College of Music called RNCM Young Artists.
This will educate and support young pop musicians ages 11 to 18 in the North West, just like Viola Beach, to support their ambitions and give them opportunities to realize their musical potential.
The River Reeves Foundation also helps raise money to support RNCM’s desire to provide full scholarships for up to 50 percent of the program’s people, so that their financial circumstances will not prevent them from accessing music education.
In 2021, River’s younger brother Quinlan rowed for almost 12 hours, raising more than £ 5,500 for Warrington Youth Rowing, the River Reeves Foundation and Child Bereavement UK, which had provided support to the family following the tragedy.
In the heart of Warrington, in the Golden Square Shopping Center, the Foundation runs the “newest and most attractive charity shop” in the city.
Vintage Viola, founded by River’s mother Sharon Dunne, first opened its doors in The Cockhedge Shopping Center 2018.
The charity shop sells used and vintage clothes and items, as well as handmade jewelry from independent local companies.
In addition to raising money for scholarships and grants for young musicians, they also encourage sustainable shopping and fashion.
They also sell Viola Beach items as a rainbow umbrella, a symbol that has become synonymous with the late band.
A bronze memorial to the band was unveiled in September 2021 near Parr Hall.
More than £ 30,000 was raised for the frieze, which was sculpted by Tom Murphy as a physical celebration of the five men’s short-lived, but incredible, lives.
Although six years have passed, Viola Beach is undeniably still present in the Warrington district and around the world.
The efforts of family and friends to keep the memory alive and help other young children from Norrland to pursue their passions, just as the band did, have ensured that the world will never forget.
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