All four, along with their manager Craig Tarry, were killed during their first overseas tour when their car fell from a bridge in the Swedish city of Södertälje on 13 February 2016.
[16] The band's Twitter profile tweeted on 16 September 2013 "Daisies is being featured on @IndieCassPlayer compilation vol 2 this month which is dead lovely!
[18] The track was produced by Ady Hall and Lee McCarthy of Sugar House and recorded at Catalyst Studios in St Helens.
[19] The band were supported by BBC Introducing, a platform for emerging musical talent, which described their songs as "infectious anthems" with "hints of slacker pop".
[25] Leonard told Wonderland magazine that much of the band's lyrical content was inspired by their "very grey and industrial" hometown, where there was "nothing to do other than drink cider and smoke rollies on a park and chase after girls".
[24] In the early hours of 13 February 2016, while driving in the Swedish city of Södertälje, all four band members were killed alongside their manager Craig Tarry in a car accident on a lift bridge along the E4 motorway.
[3][4][5] At around 2:00 am, witnesses saw the band's Nissan Qashqai clip a stationary vehicle, drive through closed barriers, and fall into the Södertälje Canal through a gap in a bridge whose middle section was being lifted to let an oil tanker pass.
Among their initial findings was that the driver, whose identity was not revealed as Tarry until an inquest was held, had no traces of alcohol or drugs in his blood.
[32] On 14 February, the day the news was announced, there was a round of applause for the band at the Premier League match between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.
[34] Tributes were made at The Lounge, the club where they began their careers, and Warrington Town Hall flew its flag at half-mast in the week following their deaths.
[43] On 2 April 2016, a tribute concert was staged at Warrington's Parr Hall, with performances by several of the band's friends and influences, including the Coral, the Courteeners, the Kooks, and Blossoms.
"[46] On 26 June 2016, Coldplay, led by Chris Martin, paid tribute to Viola Beach at Glastonbury Festival 2016 during their set by covering the band's song, "Boys That Sing" and, subsequently, encouraged fans to buy the single.
[47] A tribute was also scheduled into the first day of Leeds Festival 2016, with a short documentary originally heard on Radio 1 played on the TV screens of the main stage.
[48] In September 2017, Reeves' father, Ben Dunne, organised RivFest 17, a music event aimed at inspiring those with a talent for the arts to follow their dreams.
The concert was held at Warrington's Priestley College on 2 September, and featured headline appearances by Maxïmo Park and Billy Bragg.
[49][50][51] In February 2021, to mark the 5th anniversary of the incident, a group of Warrington-based musicians were invited to collaborate to record a cover version of Viola Beach's song Swings & Waterslides with all proceeds going to charities chosen by the band's families.
The tribute featured contributions from members of A.V Club, Sienne, Uno Mas, Crawlers, The K's, Aligners, Filthy Tricks and The Zangwills.