The five men, aged between 19 and 32, died when their car plunged into a canal near Stockholm during their first international tour

Families, friends and fans of the indie band Viola Beach have paid tribute to the four musicians and their manager, who died in a road accident in Sweden on Saturday.

The men, aged between 19 and 32, died when their car hit a road barrier and plunged more than 80ft off a bridge into a canal near the capital, Stockholm.

The family of guitarist River Reeves said they were heartbroken about “the circumstances which have seen him lose his life alongside the bandmates and manager he adored and loved being with”.

In a statement issued by the Foreign Office, Reeves’ family added: “River had such talent and such humility, such charm and such innocence it seems unfair that he can be taken so cruelly from us like this.

“We are so proud of him, not only for what he achieved in his short beautiful life, but also what he was clearly destined to achieve. He will live forever in our hearts and we hope the band’s wonderful music lives on.”

A statement from relatives of vocalist Kris Leonard read: “Words cannot express the sadness we feel at the loss of our precious Kristian. He was doing the job he loved and will be missed so much by his family and friends.”

Bassist Tomas Lowe’s family said his life had been “tragically cut short”, calling him the “best son, brother, uncle and friend you could ever wish for”.

The family of Craig Tarry, who managed the band, confirmed the deaths in another statement. “Craig was a warm, loving person who had worked tirelessly to achieve success and follow his dreams within the music industry.”

Others described the manager as a “man of unshakable optimism” and a passionate Manchester City supporter. The football club’s fans gave a round of applause in tribute during the Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Tarry, Rivers and the other members of the Warrington-based band – guitarist and Leonard, Lowe and drummer Jack Dakin – are understood to have been on their way to Arlanda airport from their first gig abroad, in Norrköping, to return to the UK, where they were due to play in Guildford on Saturday.

A musician who saw them play on Friday said there had been a lot of snow that day and Tarry had not been drinking at the event because he was driving.



John Olsson, of the Swedish band Psykofant, told the Press Association: “We shared a dressing room. They were fantastic people to be around. Very happy and chirpy.

“With their charming British accents they were like The Beatles in A Hard Day’s Night. I was standing in the audience thinking I will be able to say I hung around with Viola Beach before they made it big.”



Facebook Twitter Pinterest This is believed to be the last photograph taken of Viola Beach. Photograph: John Olsson @jholsson

Swedish police said they were called to the incident at about 2.30am and divers recovered the bodies of the victims. The bridge, at a junction between the E4 and the E20 motorways, has a middle section that rises directly upwards to allow boats to pass underneath, leaving a gap that the rented Nissan Qashqai fell through, police said.

A barrier 50 metres before the opening has flashing lights and warning signs. Inspector Martin Bergholm said: “For some reason, the car drove through the barriers and crashed down into the canal. The witnesses just saw a car beside them and kind of disappear.”

Bergholm would not comment on whether the police suspected that intoxicants were associated with the accident but said warning devices at the bridge had operated as usual and other cars had stopped to wait while it was opened.

“According to witness reports, the brake lights on the car were not operated, so it seems they simply didn’t see that the bridge was open,” Bergholm said, according to Aftonbladet newspaper.

Witnesses quoted in Swedish media said the car drove at full speed past other stationary cars and disappeared into the darkness. “To get into the water, a car must get past a red light and two barriers,” said Daniel Lindblad, of the Swedish maritime administration, which always checks with the road transport administration before the bridge is opened to allow ships through. “The red light and the first barrier is just over 100 metres from the lifting part of the bridge. The second barrier is much closer to the edge.”

Lindblad said the maritime and transport administrations had determined that nothing was wrong with the barriers or signal systems during the night. “If the barriers are not lowered, the bridge cannot open,” he told Expressen newspaper. “To go into the water, a car must therefore pass through a red light and two barriers,” he said.

Viola Beach were playing at Sweden’s Where’s the Music? festival on Friday and had dozens of upcoming live shows planned, including one at Warrington’s the Pyramid on 12 March. The up-and-coming band previously toured with the Courteeners and worked with Communion Records’ founder and Mumford and Sons’ producer, Ian Grimble.

The Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens posted: “So sorry to hear the news about Viola Beach and their manager. The saddest news. Thinking of all their families at this awful time.”

Theresa Griffin, Labour MEP for the north-west of England, wrote: “Tragic news – so bright local music talent taken so young thoughts & prayers with families & friends violabeach.” The model and former Strictly Come Dancing winner Abbey Clancy said it was “such tragic news”.

Ross Jarman, from the Cribs, said his “heart goes out to the Viola Beach guys and their families”. The Coral’s James Skelly posted: “So sorry to hear about viola beach and Craig tarry’s accident so sad, their families must be devastated.”

The Enemy said: “RIP Viola Beach and their manager. Such incredibly tragic and sad news. Thought with the friends and families of all involved x.”

Ghost of the Astoria (@20minslater) Very sad news about the guys from Viola Beach - Bright young Warrington band, looked like they were going to go big. RIP lads x

Crawford Images (@crawfordimages) Thoughts go out to Viola Beach and their manager's families. Terrible news. A rising success and a great new band, they will be missed x

ella (@ellhazel) I am so so devastated to hear about viola beach and their manager, such a talented band that I loved so much, RIP:(

Aaron Flanagan (@aaronflan) Desperately sad news about Viola Beach. Talented musicians and their friends only spoke highly of them. Major loss for Warrington. RIP.

Man & The Echo (@ManandTheEcho) Just heard horrendous news about @Viola_Beach. Fellow Warrington lads, they rehearsed next door to us. Our thoughts are with their families

Management at the Boiler Room – the venue that Viola Beach were to play in Guildford on Saturday evening – posted on its Instagram page: “Last night, upon receiving the news the opening band Viola Beach had been involved in an accident, the decision was made by the headline artists Blossoms to cancel the performance. We are saddened and devastated as details have come to light of this tragic accident. Our thoughts are with friends and family.”

Callum Bate, described on his Twitter profile as an engineer for the band, said: “The boys from Viola Beach were the most hardworking and honest bunch of lads. So honoured to work with them for the past months. RIP boys X.”

Singer and activist Billy Bragg joined the musicians paying tribute, saying he was thinking of the band’s families.