COLDPLAY’S memorable tribute to Warrington band Viola Beach has been replayed on the BBC to help mark the 50th anniversary of the Glastonbury festival.
Kris Leonard, Tomas Lowe, River Reeves and Jack Dakin, along with their manager Craig Tarry, died in a fatal car crash in Sweden while on their way home from the band’s first international gig in 2016.
At the time the tragedy sent shockwaves around the town.
LOOKING BACK: When Viola Beach took centre stage at Glastonbury
The band had been due to visit the Warrington Guardian for interviews just days after the crash and lead singer Kris Leonard had uploaded one of the band’s tracks to BBC Introducing while he was cleaning the toilets of the Guardian’s former offices in Bridge Street.
The Guardian first reported the tragic event in the early hours of February 13 and subsequently led a campaign to help get their single Swings and Waterslides into the charts. It culminated in the band reaching number 11 - the highest new entry in the top 40 charts that week.
It was testament to the boys’ talent and their legacy which will never be forgotten.
Chris Martin and his fellow Coldplay band mates were so moved by the group’s story that they devoted part of their Glastonbury set that year to them.
They performed the chorus of Viola Beach’s single Boys That Sing with screens behind them showing the Warrington band in action.
Boys That Sing was the lead single from Viola Beach’s posthumous album which reached number one.
Now four years on, Viola Beach have been in the spotlight once more as part of Glastonbury’s golden celebrations over the weekend.
The BBC replayed Coldplay’s iconic set and tribute to Viola Beach, resulting in the much-loved Warrington band trending once more on Twitter.
At the time Coldplay’s lead singer Chris Martin said they were ‘going to create Viola Beach’s alternative future for them and let them play Glastonbury for a song’.
Feeling nervous now about to watch @coldplay tribute to my brother & @violabeach I was watching from the side of the stage. It was such a bitter sweet moment. Can’t thank @coldplay enough @bbcglasto @glastonbury #violabeach #coldplay #Glastonbury 💙💚💛🧡❤️ pic.twitter.com/E1058IfrDg
— SarahTarry (@sarah_tarry) June 27, 2020
Coldplay come in for some stick on here and in general... I love them, always great live and the Viola Beach tribute they did at Glastonbury 2016 was one of the classiest things I've ever seen
— rickbazza (@rickbazza) June 27, 2020
Coldplay covering viola beach at Glastonbury will never not make me cry
— Joel🚩 (@Joel_langley14) June 27, 2020
Coldplay's tribute to Viola Beach in Glastonbury 2016.. It was very moving.. Those lads could've been something huge by now, they were all so young and had so much to give, but sadly their lives were taken from them way before their time 😔😪.. Rest in peace lads. So tragic 😪💙 pic.twitter.com/QO47VjjVNa
— Hanna :) (@SweetHanna94) June 27, 2020
Who could forget when @coldplay lit up the Pyramid Stage for a FOURTH time in 2016? 🌈
— BBC Radio 1 (@BBCR1) June 27, 2020
Experience their magical headline performance on @BBCTwo and @BBCiPlayer now 📺 #Glastonbury2020 pic.twitter.com/BipkjNdgdK
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