Just been perusing this thread and thought that at least part of the problem is that "singer/songwriter" is such a huge category, ranging from Tom Waits and Elvis Costello to Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson and then to Paul Simon, Jez Lowe and Tom Paxton. That's not even dipping into the jazz and blues areas or very far into the acoustic fringes that have been developing with category names such as psychedelic folk. So a club is unlikely to have a blanket category of accepting OR rejecting singer/songwriters (and I was singing in folk clubs in south east London in the 70s, 80s and 90s and didn't come up against any of that kind of rejection) but they may well (as now) have been choosy about which singer/songwriters they decided to book and welcome. That's show business!

As to Dartford folk club - I was made welcome as a floor singer on the few occasions I went there, and when I was playing there as Anonyma (very far from trad or American folk). They haven't rushed, so far, to give me a gig but then I haven't pushed for one, either.

But do go and see Martin Simpson. He might even sing one of my songs as well as several of his own!

Anne (Lister)
who writes songs and sings them and has done for a long time!