Holly Clarke, from the Lake District, is a singer in her band Holly and the Reivers, which features Newcastle-based musicians Bertie Armstrong and Merle Harbron. She was part of Sage Gateshead’s Summer Studios residency last year and from that supported Billy Bragg at the Folk on the Tyne Festival in July. During her residency she will work towards a performance of traditional material that has come from her research into ballads and songs from England, Scotland, Ireland and Scandinavia.