The Ultra Violets announce drummer Tyler Harris has died

British indie band The Ultra Violets have been left devastated following the sudden death of their bandmate, drummer Tyler Harris, just weeks after they performed at the Isle of Wight Festival. 

The four-piece band, made up of vocalists Perran Nicholls and Marc Willoughby, bassist Adam Knucky, and drummer Tyler Harris, shared the heartbreaking news in a statement posted to Instagram.

They wrote: ‘This is something we never thought we’d have to write,

‘But our beloved Tyler, a son, a brother, a uncle, a partner, our friend and our heartbeat has tragically passed away.

‘We hope you can respect our privacy at this difficult time, we will be taking some time out to process this.

‘Tyler we love you with all our hearts, play that kit loud up there won’t you.’ 

The statement was signed off with three broken heart emojis and the names of the surviving members: Perran, Marc and Adam. 

Alongside the statement, the band shared a series of photos showing Tyler smiling backstage and in the studio, captioning the post simply: ‘Heartbroken’. 

They did not confirm a cause of death for Tyler. 

As tributes flooded in from fans, the band later shared another heartfelt message thanking everyone for their support. 

They wrote: ‘Thank you all for the love and support, it’s been the hardest few days ever! 

‘Tyler wouldn’t believe how much love he’s got right now a love I wish he was here to see, he really was the kindest and funniest soul around. 

They concluded: ‘Thanks you again everyone keep sharing his memory (black love heart emojis).’ 

News of Tyler’s passing comes just weeks after the rising indie group performed on the main stage at the Isle of Wight Festival. 

Hailing from the scenic shores of Cornwall, The Ultra Violets made waves in the UK indie scene with their heartfelt lyrics. 

The band formed in 2020, and they released their debut single, Romance, mixed by Dave Sanderson (producer for Reverend & The Makers) in April 2021. 

The track, which celebrates love between two people, earned the band airplay on Radio X and Amazing Radio. 

They followed it up with Watergate Bay in October 2021 – a track described by RGM Mag as ‘definitely a crowd pleaser’, a sentiment confirmed by a 6,000-strong chorus when the band supported pop legends McFly. 

Since then, the band has released a string of singles, including Sex, (She Don’t Smell Like) Roses, By The Water, and their latest, Honeypie, which dropped in June this year.

Over the past few years, The Ultra Violets have shared stages with indie icons The Pigeon Detectives and Space, and have graced major UK festivals such as Boardmasters, Leopallooza, and the Isle of Wight Festival. 

Just last month, they treated fans to a surprise secret set at Boardmasters. 

Earlier this year, frontman Perran revealed how a chance encounter in a bar led to the band touring with The Libertines. 

Speaking to Babystep Magazine, he recalled: ‘Yeah, we played Carl’s bar in Margate, and he was actually there, he was so down to earth that he just came up to us and we chatted for ages, he then invited us to a Libertines gig in Falmouth and as that’s on our door step we were definitely going to be there.

‘We watched them side stage and then they invited us into their dressing room, got chatting and also got very drunk, but we remembered the next morning they said something about a UK Tour, but we literally did not get any contact info, not even a manager’s email haha! So yeah, we just started thinking, well, we need to blag our way onto this tour, but with no contact info, it’s gonna be hard. 

‘We then remembered we have a friend who is a super Libertines fan and she follows them everywhere and they are good friends with her, so we thought of a plan. GIFTS.’

As fans of The Libertines, The Ultra Violets devised a creative way to get the band’s attention.

Knowing that Peter Doherty had a well-known love of cheese, they put together a cheeseboard featuring Cornish Yarg. 

But when it came to Carl Barât, they had to get more inventive. One of the band members remembered seeing a leopard-print mat at Carl’s music venue and, knowing his fondness for quirky hats, set out to find a matching accessory.

Eventually, they tracked down a flamboyant leopard-print hat, complete with feathers, on eBay. 

The gifts, accompanied by a handwritten note, were delivered to the band via a dedicated Libertines superfan at an HMV signing event. 

Months later, The Ultra Violets were stunned to receive an email inviting them to support the band on tour. 

Elsewhere in the interview, Perran admitted that in the early years, the band was compared to Oasis an ‘unhealthy amount.’

However, they’ve since moved away from that comparison – though the Gallagher brothers, along with the Beatles, were still major influences on them growing up.

In another interview with MusoMuso, Perran discussed what it was like to support The Libertines in France. 

He said: ‘It was insane, but I had tonsillitis and a chest infection, quite literally the worst timing ever.

‘But somehow we made it through the two dates. We actually got offered a few more, but logistically couldn’t make it work, but to be honest, my voice was struggling from the tonsillitis by the second night, so it was probably for the best.’