Indie Band Viola Beach Hit UK #1 After Members Killed in Car Crash

This past February, all four members and the manager of the UK indie band Viola Beach died in a tragic car crash in Sweden. At the time, vocalist Kris Leonard, guitarist River Reeves, bassist Tomas Lowe, drummer Jack Dakin, and their manager Craig Tarry were preparing new music for an EP. That collection was turned into the band’s self-titled debut LP that got released on July 29 via Fuller Beans Records. Viola Beach has now topped the UK charts, outselling the number two record by about 6,000 copies, the Official Charts Company reports (via the BBC).

In June, Coldplay paid tribute to Viola Beach at Glastonbury by covering their Viola Beach song “Boys That Sing.” The track reached No. 50 on the UK charts following the performance. In February, after their passing, the band’s single “Swings & Waterslides” reached No. 11.

In a statement, the band and manager’s families said:

The tragedy that ended Craig, Jack, Kris, River & Tom’s lives in Sweden and the pain and sense of loss will never leave us. By sending the Viola Beach album to Number 1 the public have sent out an important message to the world.

The tragic circumstance that met Viola Beach and their manager Craig that fateful night in Sweden will not now define their lives. What will now define their lives and what they will be remembered for, forever, is the music they were so passionate about making together.

For that, we will be eternally humbled and ever thankful to every single person who by buying this glorious album has invested in their lasting musical legacy. The pain will never leave us but neither will the affection shown by every fan. Maybe one day that affection will live longer in the memory than the pain.

So from us all, a simple but heartfelt “thank you.”

Watch the “Boys That Sing” music video:

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