This story is something that's very close to my heart and is a wound that's still a bit raw. A couple of months ago, I was really excited because I just found another great English rock band to start listening to. I decided to look them up after they had scored a support slot for Blossoms, one of my new favorite bands at the moment. I heard a track from up-and-coming indie band, Viola Beach, and I couldn't get it out of my head. It was called "Swings And Waterslides" and I had it on replay for weeks because it was so infectious and I just loved it. I downloaded the track and I decided to write the band's name down in my notebook where I keep track of new artists that I need to check out and research further. Let me say that not many bands get into my notebook, so that says a lot about how great I thought they were.
It was with great sadness that I later found out a few weeks later that the band and their manager were killed in car accident in Sweden during their first international tour. The band and their manager were all between the ages of 19 and 32 and shortly after the news broke, tributes began to pour in from around the world. The band consisted of River Reeves on lead guitar, Tomas Lowe on bass, Kris Leonard on guitar and lead vocals, and Jack Dakin on drums. The band and their manager, Craig Tarry, were honored at the fifth minute of a Manchester City home game (Tarry's beloved football team) where the home and away crowd stood and clapped for the entirety of the minute.
They also received support and tributes on Twitter from the BBC, Liam Gallagher, The Stone Roses, The Courteeners, The Cribs, Billy Bragg, Blossoms, Kasabian, Fran Healy, The Enemy, Rat Boy and many more. The band were selected by the BBC to play their prestigious, highly coveted SXSW showcase in Austin, Texas (which would've been this month) and it was supposed to be the band's first ever gig in America. There was also a campaign to get "Swings And Waterslides" to #1 on the British iTunes charts as a tribute to the band, and shortly after, it secured that first spot.
On March 2nd, it was announced that there would be a tribute concert to support the families of the band. The now sold-out concert will take place on April 2nd at Warrington Parr Hall in the band's hometown. The lineup consists of some of their friends and influences and has some big names like The Kooks, The Coral and Blossoms. Since Viola Beach were due to play more Blossoms support shows, Blossoms decided to play a recording of a previous Viola Beach show instead of booking another support act, which was a wonderful tribute to the band.
Viola Beach only officially released two singles (with b-sides), which were "Swings And Waterslides" and "Boys That Sing" and they are both fantastic. I had only heard "Swings And Waterslides" before the accident, but once I found out what had happened, I immediately started to dig through online to find any studio or live recordings that the band had done. I came across the b-side to "Swings And Waterslides", called "Cherry Vitmo", the other single, "Boys That Sing", the b-side to "Boys That Sing", called "Like A Fool", a BBC Maida Vale session of a song called "Get To Dancing", and an acoustic version of a song called "All Week", played only by the band's lead singer, Kris Leonard.
I was amazed when I found that all the other songs were just as good, if not better, than the first track I heard, which got me hooked on the band. I even found that the live and acoustic tracks are just as good as their studio recordings, which is not something you find everyday. Leonard's stripped down version of "All Week" (which you can watch below) is a bit eerie and sad to watch now, but it made me realize just how brilliant of a singer-songwriter that Leonard was and how much potential that he and the band had.
This realization made me even more depressed because I would've loved the chance see the band perform live or even to hear their debut album. Their agent announced shortly after the accident that the band had spent time in the studio and had recorded a four-track EP of previously unreleased material. It was confirmed on Twitter that he's "making sure it gets out."
In case you're not sure what the band sounds like, the band described their music on Twitter as "bucketloads of loveliness and dreamy shoegaze pop." I can definitely attest to that and say that their music is quite bright, happy guitar pop. Also, it was announced that all the proceeds from any purchase of the band's music, whether on iTunes or elsewhere, would go to the families of the band. Luckily, I was able to purchase one of the 7" singles of "Boys That Sing" / "Like A Fool" before they quickly sold out. So, I'm happy to say that Viola Beach's music will forever be a part of my vinyl collection and of my life.
Without dwelling on the fact that they are no longer with us, their previously released music will always live on and be there for us to enjoy and there's still their new EP to look forward to. There was no doubt that band and their manager were destined for big things and great music in the future. They may be gone, but they'll never be forgotten. RIP.
