Doesn't this thread just prove that we need ALL these different venues because so many different minded people at some point or other want to experience something that might loosely be termed 'folk'.

Personally I think tastes change through life as well as between different people. When I was a student my favourite 'folk' experiences were the late night concerts and noisy sessions/parties. That offered me the chance to combine my embryonic love of traditional song with the need to 'party' in common with fellow non folk-minded students. But the older I get the more I value the chance to listen with a more mature ear in a quieter setting, and the more grateful I am when I receive appreciation and respect from my audience. I've been to the odd arts centre and theatre concert recently and enjoyed the experience. But it comes no where near the pleasure I get from sitting in my local club each week, meeting with friends, sharing songs old and new, and watching the enthusiastic teen/twenties lads (who regularly attend and sing)get better each week. Oh, I still relish the festivals, with their positive orgy of goods - concerts/sessions/workshops/showcases etc - but they simply wouldn't be what they are if the artists (and quite often the audience too) couldn't maintain their enthusiasm and participation through the folk club networks.