Indieobit: John Pike

As reported earlier, the body of John Pike, drummer with Ra Ra Riot, has been found dead.

Ra Ra Riot had been working together for eighteen months, self described as "an amorphous blob that consists of six highly dedicated individuals, each bringing her/his own experiences as both people and musicians to the metaphorical table". Based in Syracuse, New York, much of the band's distinctiveness was down to the classical background of two of the six members. They had toured extensively on the East Coast, and earlier this year had played four warmly-received dates in London; the reaction to these dates had led to bookings for some festival dates this summer, including Latitude, Guilfest and London Lovebox.

The debut ep from the band - also called Ra Ra Riot - had been due for release through their own label.

The band had played a gig in Providence on Friday night, after which they had crossed the State line for a party in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. John disappeared during this party; his body was found in deep water in Buzzard's Bay, less than a mile from the party location.

John's drumming, at the heart of the band, was singled out for special attention by a review on SV Online in April:

John Pike (drums) may be hidden behind most of the musical commotion on stage, but he manages to provide solid background vocals and incredibly tight rhythm. The band simply wouldn’t be able to move a crowd without him.

This is the band in action at KoKo earlier this year: