Another correspondent has shown the problem with this approach in another thread. I am all in favour of self-organised do's for people who can then do what they want. So let me make that clear. And good luck to you all.

But there are musicians moving the boundaries of folk music forward (sometimes backwards of course!!) If all you ever do is sing with your mates then all you will ever hear (basically) are the songs your mates choose to learn and sing. If none of your mates are fiddle players or melodeon players or pipers then you are denying yourself the opportunity of seeing some remarkable talent.

Your choice and I am not seeking either to denigrate it or deny it. But it is not simply a passive "entertain me" philosophy that makes people go to concerts it can be very much "I want to see and hear wonderful musicians at the top of their profession" philosophy as well.

And people on Mudcat do come along and start threads saying where are the good young singers? Or why isn't folk seen as sexy and where are the punk folk bands?

They are out there - good young professional singers, researching songs, seeking out quality material and presenting it in a totally professional way, attracting the next generation of folkies. Equally there are some great bands out there playing some fantastic music and also attracting the next generation of folkies.

My feeling about festival audiences - and I have done eight festivals of differing sizes this year - is that they are a mixture who want to see the big name concert artistes of course, who often move to the dance tent afterwards, and may go to a session at lunchtime.

Of course if you really want to know what is happening in the world of folk, you can always listen to Mike Harding.
:-)