Forming in 2017 with a shared love and inspiration from 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. 

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Though firmly rooted in the folk song tradition, the trio’s signature sound is comprised of their individual roots within old-time music, Welsh songs, supernatural ballads, political songs and Scottish fiddle. And it is in these border lands of the folk genre that they thrive creatively without boundaries, bringing forth their own compositions that have been deeply influenced by traditional music. 

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Holly Clarke (voice, guitar), Merle Harbron (voice, fiddle), and Bertie Armstrong (voice, banjo) weave their arrangements around these old songs and combine their voices to create a soundscape that accompanies these old stories. 

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

 

“Brilliant musical storytellers The Reivers - a class act from start to finish” - Nancy Kerr 

“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 

“It is clear that Holly and The Reivers are special”- MNPR Magazine