Coldplay used their Glastonbury appearance to recognise the young band Viola Beach, who died earlier this year.

Frontman Chris Martin announced that instead of paying tribute to the late David Bowie by singing Heroes, the band would pay tribute to the four-piece – Kris Leonard, River Reeves, Tomas Lowe and Jack Dakin.

They died with their manager Craig Tarry in February when their car plunged more than 80ft into a canal in Sodertalje, Sweden.

Viola Beach
Viola Beach (@jholsson / Press Association Images)

Chris said: “We’re on tour right now, and normally what we do at this point in our concert is play Heroes by David Bowie, and it’s great – the song, not the version.

“But what we’re going to do tonight is something a little different … this year in the beginning of the year, maybe you read about a beautiful young band called Viola Beach, a band that just got signed and were on their first tour of the world and were in a tragic accident and they got taken away and we as a band thought that was just the worst.

“It just reminded us of us and all the other bands that come through here, the excitement and the joy and the hope and we really felt that in them.

“And so we decided as a band, instead of playing Heroes tonight, we’re going to create Viola Beach’s alternate future for them and let them headline Glastonbury with their song.

“So Kris and Jack and River and Tomas and their manager Craig, this is what would have maybe been you in 20 years or so and I hope we do this song justice.”

He called on fans to send the song “up the charts tomorrow”, before Coldplay launched into Boys That Sing by Viola Beach as images of the band played behind them.