Yes it's not really fair to blame organisers for not taking risks on mid-range pros. The problem is that audiences have become more choosy, less willing to put up with increasingly grim pubs, turn out on cold or wet nights, less willing (or able) to shell out decent money, more set in their tastes, less interested in listening to anyone else perform etc etc.

It's not really the audience's fault either. It's just what happens with age and the social changes we're seeing in the UK now.

But some people can be horribly snooty. Even when you can show you're 'successful' in most other clubs in the land they seem to say - ah but that doesn't mean you're good enough for US (and I'm not talking about big concert clubs, now - just ordinary every day ones).

Only the other day I heard an organiser ask, doubtfully, if Spiers and Bowden might be good enough to play their club!

I mean - where have they BEEN?