They were living their dream
15th February 2021
Viola Beach (left to right): Kris Leonard, Tom Lowe, River Reeves, Jack Dakin. CREDIT: John Davidson Photos / Alamy Stock Photo
The families of Viola Beach have spoken about the band’s legacy five years on from the accident that claimed their lives.
On February 13, 2016, singer/guitarist Kris Leonard, guitarist River Reeves, bassist Tomas Lowe and drummer Jack Dakin of the Warrington band were killed with their manager Craig Tarry when their tour vehicle plunged into a canal in Sweden.
Five years later, the families of the victims have reflected on their career and lives in a new interview with the BBC. Joanne Dakin, mother of 19-year-old drummer Jack, said: “They were living their dream. It’s a cliché, but they were. They were living a life less ordinary.
ONE of Viola Beach s best loved songs has been reimagined to mark five years since we lost the Warrington band. Featuring seven singers, two guitarists, a bassist and a drummer, a cover of Swings and Waterslides has been recorded by the town s community of musicians and will be released on Friday, February 12. The charity single has even been mixed by Viola Beach s former sound engineer Cal Bate, who now works with Blossoms. Viola Beach were hotly tipped to become one of the UK’s biggest indie bands. But the lives of Kris Leonard, Jack Dakin, River Reeves, Tom Lowe and their Woolston manager Craig Tarry were tragically cut short on February 13, 2016, when they were travelling back from their first international gig at Where s the Music? festival in Norrköping.
Former Woolston High School student Lee Harman champions the town’s grassroots music scene through his platform, Warrington Music [WAM]. Below, he talks about the latest edition of the [WAM] magazine and why he was determined to publish it despite the challenges of the pandemic I AM very happy to announce that the fourth issue of the Warrington Music [WAM] magazine is available now. However, of all the risks and hurdles to get this far, ‘lockdown number three’ as people have called it has had the biggest impact on the current issue. With all non essential shops, cafes, bars and entertainment venues closed, this spring’s free 40-page glossy magazine is currently only available online.