"Tell you what, the day Cecil Sharp House puts on a Seth Lakeman and Show of Hands gig ... "

Do I detect a 'school girl' crush on Mr Lakeman, Lizzie? Is this what your incessant ranting is all about? Could it be that you have encountered a few people who don't happen to share your 'pash'? Poor Seth, that's all I can say!

Er....Shimrod, what makes you say that? I've had that thrown at me many a time, it doesn't work. I don't fancy Seth Lakeman, I'm 53 and old enough to his Mummy. I do however have a passion for his *music* because I love the driving beat of it. I also love the way that young people love his music too, and the way in which so many of them are starting to discover folk music *because* of Seth.

Likewise with Show of Hands. And nope I don't fancy them either, not that they *aren't* fanciable, 'cos they are, but that is not and never has been why I like their music...and indeed the first time I ever heard them I couldn't even see them. They too though have brought in thousands to folk music.

As I said, the day those who run Cecil Sharp House choose to let down their intellectual barriers and hobnob with the likes of us common Seth and SoH fans, no longer deeming themselves above the riff raff, then and only then will I feel that the locks and keys around 'their' music have been thrown away forever.

Ooh, and when Seth and Eliza are singing together, and whooping it up at Cecil Sharpy House, have Reg Meuross and Martin Carthy up there as well, because they went down a storm at Sidmouth. Reg being the New Tradition, Martin the Old, but open to the New...

I'm not interested in snotty folk who think they're better than others, or who think they are more deserving to love the music purely because they have studied it. What a loads of old cobblers!

From Ralph:
Quote Fom Lizzie

"I have no desire to 'study' the songs"

Anyone want to add anything???
Mmmm Didn't think so....

Yup, *exactly* the attitude I've been talking about.