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Viola Beach's posthumous debut album set for 10th anniversary vinyl reissue
21 February 2026, 08:00
The Warrington band and their manager died in a tragic car accident in 2016 before they could release their first album.
Viola Beach's self-titled album is set to be reissued for its 10th anniversary.
The young band from Warrington - comprised of singer/guitarist Kris Leonard, guitarist River Reeves, bassist Tomas Lowe and drummer Jack Dakin - were all tragically killed on 13th February 2016 in a car accident in Sweden that also claimed the life of their manager, Craig Tarry.
The band's album was released posthumously on 29th July the same year and went on to peak at number one on the UK Albums Chart.
Five years later, the album was released on rainbow-coloured picture disc, and now the special vinyl edition is set for a repress to mark the 10th anniversary of the record.
A statement on the band's Instagram account reads: "To mark 10 years since the release of Viola Beach’s self-titled debut album, and its subsequent ascent to the top of the UK Album Charts, a vinyl repress of the album is to be released on June 5th, 2026.
"It will be released by Fuller Beans Records, the label set up by Kris, River, Tom, Jack & their manager Craig.
The statement continues: "The vinyl is specially designed with a rainbow coloured picture disc, paying homage to the rainbow umbrellas that the band were once photographed with and became symbolic of them in the wake of their tragic accident in 2016.
"This poignant vinyl edition release is a fitting celebration of what the bandmates and their manager did best together, make and perform wonderful music."
The Viola Beach 10th anniversary picture disc is available to pre-order here.
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On the 10th anniversary of the band and their manager's passing, the families shared a tribute on Instagram which read: "It's 10 years today since we lost Kris, River, Tom, Jack & Craig. They’re forever in our hearts. Never to be forgotten."
Radio X also marked the anniversary with an archive show presented by the Communion label's Maz Tappuni - who worked closely with the band.
The band released their debut single, Swings And Waterslides on their own label, Fuller Beans, but their second single was Boys That Sing, which was released on the Communion Records label on 22nd January 2016.
After they sadly passed, we played nine tracks of the band's eponymous LP and featured tributes from the band members' family, friends and fellow musicians.
Listen to the album playback special here:
The Communion label said in a statement: "Viola Beach had only recently come into the Communion family, and had everything going for them – great songs, passion, talent, drive… everything that a band should have. To sit down with the band was to sit down with a group of guys whose band you wanted to be in, and to be in the presence of a band who knew just what it would take to make it."
"This is why the band had been in Sweden, rather than sit back and wait for it to happen to them, Kris, River, Jack and Tom were determined to go out into the world and play every show they could until the world was singing along with them, and now that dream has been sadly taken away from all of us.”
Viola Beach's story touched music fans and fellow artists alike, with Coldplay paying tribute to the young artists at Glastonbury 2016 by covering their Boys That Sing single.
Frontman Chris Martin said: “We’d like to create Viola Beach’s alternate history and let them headline Glastonbury for one song tonight.”
Coldplay - Boys That Sing (Viola Beach Cover) Glastonbury 2016
Coldplay, who honoured Viola Beach by covering their track Boys That Sing during their headline slot at Glastonbury Festival.
