THE Furrow Collective, the Best Group winners at the 2017 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, will play Selby Town Hall on March 24 on their 11-date spring tour.

The collective comprises Alasdair Roberts, Emily Portman, Lucy Farrell and Rachel Newton, four soloists who share a mutual love of traditional song and an open, intuitive approach to collaboration.

Their distinctive voices come together to create a beguiling, beautiful sound, as heard on their second album, 2016's Wild Hog, written when they rented a holiday cottage to create new music. They are now working on their third record, planned for release later this year, and some of the songs will be premiered on the spring tour.

Roberts, Portman, Farrell and Newton met when they studied on the folk and traditional music degree course at Newcastle University. Portman was two years above Farrell and Newton and asked them to perform on her final recital and later to play on her debut solo album, and they went on to play together as The Emily Portman Trio for ten years.

They then sought to form a new band where they each would take a solo role and could share their love of traditional folk ballads. The trio needed another musician and voice, so they asked Alasdair Roberts to join. Within The Furrow Collective they all take a lead on the songs to showcase their varied backgrounds and influences from both sides of the English/Scottish border.

Success has come their way, culminating in the BBC Folk Award. "Winning best group was a shock at first, and we didn’t expect it," says Newton. "We feel as if we have found our sound, and it was great. Winning has given us a higher profile and has brought us to a new audience who might not have been aware of us before."

Tickets for March 24's 7.30pm concert are on sale at £14 on 01759 708449 or at selbytownhall.co.uk. Doors will open at 7pm.