Danensis

'To Alan Surtees I would just say that I have been doing PA longer than he has been doing festivals'.

This might be the case but Alan has been going to folk festivals for more than 30 years and has never seen you doing a PA.

'I would have thought that the most obtuse of organisers would realise that when the audience desert the venue, and sit on the grass outside because its the first place where the sound levels are tolerable, the sound levels are too high'.

The marquee was almost always full – if you mean when Paul Brady was performing then I can tell you that people left the marquee because they didn't like him not because of the volume. The loudest performers where the Peatbog Faeries and Bellowhead - the marquee was completely full when they were performing and we had to turn people away.

'I go to Shrewsbury because I enjoy the music. However when it is at levels that are likely to damage my hearing, and that of many of the audience, I find an attitude like that of the Surtees incomprehensible. Perhaps if he climbed out of his ivory tower and talked to some of the people in the audience he would realise what was happening. Just because people keep buying tickets (and lining the organiser's pockets) is no reason to be complacent'.

Our volume levels have never exceeded limits set by Environmental Health. In fact our sound levels could be much higher – we are always well under the limit. As for ivory tower (what a joke) perhaps you should check out wikipedia for the meaning. And as for lining the organisers pocket let me tell you that Alan Surtees has always been an unpaid volunteer and in the past has put his own money into the event (not to mention blood, sweat and tears). I am the only paid administrator. I (in my opinion) am not paid nearly enough for the hours I do (it is more than full time). As I am Alan's wife some would say he benefits financially but if you add up all the hours that Alan and I do together then it's a bloody pittance.