Of course a lot of the problem is that people with strong opinions about what constituted folk music would turn up at your folk club.

Some people just expected to be entertained, some people thought we were a branch of the British museum with a duty to preserve 'olde England'.

I suppose in cities you could cultivate your own particular bent, but if you were out in the sticks, all sorts of odds and sods turned up, which was okay on a singers night - but if you had a guest that a section of the audience disapproved of - it might create an atmosphere.

I think when you're a professional entertainer - no one can expect you to be able to do 'anything and everything.' However there does need to be give and take. A degree of flexibility is necessary.
Audiences need to come to a folk club, interested in what the artist feels they have to offer. And artists need to realise that not every audience turns up fully briefed as to what their take on folk music is - their demeanor should be respectful.