I tend to agree that Bellowhead are somehow less than the sum of the parts. I'm sure they're exciting to see live, at least at first, but even in recordings/videos I find the relentless noisiness and fuss gets a bit wearing, and you don't get to hear the individual skills of what I know are a very talented group of musicians. If others enjoy it, that's fine by me, it just isn't my preferred way of experiencing folk music.

But I don't mind in the least that they're doing a lot of old traditional songs. Some of the songs might seem a bit hackneyed to people who've been hearing or perforning them for decades, but Bellowhead appeal as well to a younger age group, some of whom won't be familiar with this repertoire. If Bellowhead can breathe new life into these songs and share them with a new generation, then good luck to them. And if they pick on a song I've been doing for 20 years and make it so commonplace that people get tired of it, I have plenty more songs I can revise or learn, and it will do me no harm to refresh my repertoire.

Marje