"If there is such a thing as "youth appeal," maybe it's to do with the way that festivals & clubs are organised, rather than thinking, "The young 'uns'll love this -- he's got a drum machine & everything."

- I think that's spot on. That's clearly the key to the young ceilidh movement - ceilidh societies at universities, run by young people, have had a huge impact (and may partly explain why there is some indifference to concerts, but enthusiasm for dance, in the younger generation).

And Anahata's right: Sam Lee's club in London is lovely. If we could simply clone Sam and get all the Mini-Sams to start up clubs around the country, the whole folk club network would be revitalised.