A bronze frieze in memory of Jack Dakin, River Reeves, Kris Leonard, Tom Lowe and Craig Tarry – the members and manager of Viola Beach – has been unveiled today, Saturday 25 September at Warrington Parr Hall.
The frieze, created by the commissioned artist Tom Murphy, depicts the band alongside iconic elements of Warrington and serves as a permanent tribute in their memory.
Leader of the Council, Cllr Russ Bowden, said: “The unveiling of the frieze is a celebration of Jack, River, Kris, Tom and Craig, their achievements, and their iconic music. I am pleased that the council has been able to work with their families to create this fitting tribute, which serves as a humbling reminder of their story.”
Jack’s dad Ian Piers Dakin said: “We would like to thank everyone, who has contributed their time and money, to make the Viola Beach memorial possible. Hopefully, the memorial will inspire Folk; both Young and Old, to always follow their dreams & realise that anything is possible to reach their goals in life, if they have the passion, motivation, commitment, self-belief and are also prepared for lots of tears and hard graft.
“We would also like to thank the artist, Tom Murphy for the love and empathy he has given to his sculpture. I personally will not be visiting the memorial every day, but, like the tattooed image I have on my back of Jack, containing some of his ashes, I know where the memorial is, when I want to view it. We also hope, that the memorial helps to reminds Folk, to try and stay positive in our rollercoaster lives and to always have confidence in themselves, as the very first person to believe in you, should always be yourself.”
The band members and their manager tragically died when their car plunged from a bridge in Södertälje, Sweden on February 13, 2016.
The tragedy made headline news around the world.
An inquest in December 2016 said the exact facts of the tragedy might never be known, but all five young men died as a result of a road traffic collision.
The tragedy occurred after the band had performed at a music festival near Stockholm. They were returning to their hotel in Stockholm.
The tragedy captured the hearts of the nation as the band’s single Swings and Waterslides reached number 11 in the charts, followed by the band’s self-titled posthumous album reaching number one.
They had been due to return to their hometown to perform at Warrington Parr Hall.
This afternoon, a bronze memorial was unveiled at Parr Hall in memory of Jack Dakin, River Reeves, Kris Leonard, Tom Lowe and Craig Tarry – the members and manager of Viola Beach – as a permanent tribute in their memory💛❤️💙💚💜https://t.co/qXMEO7PsSW pic.twitter.com/aMFUT7HgGo
— Warrington Borough Council (@WarringtonBC) September 25, 2021
