Warwick has been a nice, friendly and fairly compact festival, if somewhat excessively noisy at times. BUT (and if I ever find out how to change text size that would be a big but) I go to festivals to sing and dance, not to listen to amplified 'stars'.

The proliferation of large, electrified festivals with large numbers of paid singers and enormous marquees is most distressing. It happened to Sidmouth, until it all collapsed in a heap, it seemed to be happening to Bromyard last weekend and Warwick may be going the same way. I hear (though I haven't been for 10 years or more) that that lovely little festival at Towersey has also expanded grotesquely.

Sally had exactly the right idea with her little DIY festival: three or four pubs with good (in two cases home-brewed) beer; a village hall and a campsite in the park. Cost? £12 per person for the w/e plus a few quid to pay for the band if you went to the ceilidh.

Surely folk is about making our own entertainment?

(or am I talking myself out of possible jobs here?)

Steve