Metal rock star David Draiman has led tributes to Jake Marlowe, the British Israeli musician murdered by Hamas while working as a security guard at the Nova music festival on October 7.

Over 100 people, including Jake’s family, friends, and members of the Jewish community, gathered for a ceremony at the Brighton & Hove memorial to victims of the Hamas terrorist attack on July 9 – what would have been the young musician’s 27th birthday.

Jake Marlowe, who was murdered on October 7 at the Nova festival, would have been 27 on July 9

David Draiman, frontman of Grammy award-nominated heavy metal band Disturbed and outspoken supporter of Israel on social media, sent a video message to attendees in which he voiced his “deepest and most heartfelt condolences” to the family of Jake Marlowe.

“I’ve been to the Nova site, talked with many of the families,” Draiman said. “Horror beyond horror. My heart is with you. Stay strong. Am Yisrael Chai.”

Frontman of rock band Disturbed David Draiman led tributes to Jake Marlowe, who was murdered at the Nova festival on October 7. Jake was a bassist in UK hardcore band Desolated (Photo: Getty Images)

After the service, a procession made its way to the beach where people tied yellow ribbons for the 120 hostages still held by Hamas.

Messages for Jake, including ones that read “Rest peacefully”, “Jake lion of Israel”, and “You are us. We are you” were written on stones and will be taken to Israel and placed on Jake’s memorial at the site of the Nova massacre, where some 360 young people were murdered.

People write messages on stones in memory of Jake Marlowe at a service in Hove on what would have been his 27th birthday (Photo: Heidi Bachram)

A talented bass player who toured with the metalcore band Desolated, Jake had decided to move to Israel from London in 2021 after seeing videos online of a pro-Palestinian convoy driving through a Jewish area of London shouting: “F**k the Jews! Rape their daughters!”

Jake had called his parents, Michael and Lisa, who live in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, at 6.20 on the morning of the unfolding atrocity. He told them, amidst lots of commotion, that he could see paragliders, that he loved them very much, and that he’d call them later. But that call never came.

Jake’s body was found four days later in the desert, having been shot nine times by terrorists. Jake’s father, who had immediately boarded a plane to Israel after speaking with his son, had to identify Jake from the tattoos on his calves.

Michael Marlowe speaks to attendees of a service held in memory of his son Jake, who was murdered by Hamas terrorists at the Nova festival on October 7. (Photo: Heidi Bachram)

Michael said: “I asked for Jake’s head and face to be uncovered so I could kiss him goodbye. To tell him we loved him. We would love him for evermore. What I saw will be ever ingrained in the deepest, darkest part of my soul. A vision I still see when I close my eyes, and I will take that vision with me to my grave.”