Formed in 2017 through a shared love and inspiration for groups such as Lankum and the Furrow Collective, Holly & The Reivers came together through a love of singing together. Their music came to the attention of The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, and in 2019 they supported Billy Bragg at Folk on the Tyne Festival.

 

Though firmly rooted in the folk song tradition, the trio’s signature sound is comprised of their individual roots in Supernatural Ballads, Old Time music, Welsh song, Political song and Scottish Fiddle.

 

It is in these border lands of the folk genre that they thrive creatively without boundaries, bringing forth their own compositions which have been deeply influenced by traditional music.

Holly Clarke (Voice, Guitar), Merle Harbron (Voice, Fiddle) and Bertie Armstrong (Voice, Banjo) weave their arrangements around these old songs and bring their voices together, to create a soundscape to accompany these old stories. This soundscape approach comes from the prolific influence of Folk Horror cinema, which the band views as a muse for their sound, both in a metaphorical sense as well as musical. The Reivers lean toward the songs with a darker narrative tapestry, where the songs reveal the more sinister stories from humanities past.

 

Whether it be a murmuring fiddle heralding the arrival of vengeful ghost or the powerful voices rising that embodies the message of a political song, Holly & The Reivers are a band that holds the story at the centre of what they do.

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Their debut album 'Three Galleys' released in November 2023, and has been reviewed to critical acclaim - receiving radio play on Mark Radcliffe's BBC Radio 2 Folk Show, Celtic Heartbeat, Tim Walker's Folk show on BBC Radio Lincolnshire, as well as many international radio plays.

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'Brilliant musical storytellers Holly & The Reivers - A class act from start to finish' - Nancy Kerr

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'A singing collective that steers the emotional journeys captured in the songs they play. They choose their songs well, but they sing them even better' - NE Volume

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'The Range and exceptional quality of material on this debut album have certainly ensured i'll be eagerly awaiting the next chapters of their stories' - Folk Radio UK

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