Cap'n B, thanks for the accolade for the Carrington Triangle Folk Club in Nottingham. Pity a good debate has degenerated once again, but here's my two pen'orth in support of this old fashioned midlands club. (It seems that the geographical focus is on Swindon (grin).) There are of course many factors which go into the making of a successful club, some under our control -- like management of the club, policy,ethos,ambience, others not -- like the unctionality of selected room, quality of refreshments, accessibility, attitude of landlord(or renting body).
The Carrington (which I reckon is a club of the 60's) has a good body of core supporters who enjoy a room with lots of atmosphere,
a policy of giving everybody the chance to sing or recite, a monthly guest, the most wierd (compulsory ;-) ) & entertaining raffle in the folk world, FREE vegetarian curry and good (tho slightly pricey) beer. Oh BTW, we just love to join in with the singing, and I'm sure many of the singers quoted above will, I'm sure agree that their experience at the Carrington was positive and enjoyable.

Now all of this would not have been achieved without the rock upon which all of this is built. And this is Granvile Blatherwick - Gren to all of us. It is he who has persisted in underpinning the success of the club by being its M.C. & Chief Curry maker, and indeed next year celebrates 25 years of so doing. Gren is not the perfect folk club M.C. but we love him just the same and he is supported. I've only been going to this club (& the Robin Hood ex Dave & Ruth Cooper, also in Nottingham) for about 12 years, tho I started in 1965 at the Bradford Folk Club which was a smaller rival the the more renowned TOPIC (still going strong) All the crap about the P.E.L.s messed up some of the good work, but I guess we've come thru it (we now feel, unfortunately,that we have to make everyone members)
but at the end of the day, it's a great club, and I doff my cap to Gren, and everyone who has been to the club and had a great night. And so may it continue. Also, its up to us the punters to get out there and support our kind of music in whatever venue we prefer, and if our kind of preference doesn't exist locally, maybe we should do what our 1960's pioneers did and start our own prefered medium where all will come and join in.
In my well run folk club there is a great nights entertainment at a very small cost. Tho few people smoke in the clubs these days, my preference would be for non-smoking, but as smoking is allowed, I can deal with it, because I am, as are most people, adaptable.
Going to a folk club led me on to country and morris dancing and thereby the community element flourished (including rambles which would terminate in appropriate merriment) I go to the club because it meets my needs, but I appreciate there are people interested im our kind of music who don't care for this type of venue, then they should find or create their kind of venue. There IS room for all and if WE don't like them, then WE don't have to go there!

Bradfordian