"Chris Cole said: I'm sure the average punter doesn't want to hear a twenty five verse Child ballad"

It all depends on the quality of the singer, doesn't it? A finely judged, skilful performance of a ballad can be mesmerising - and, as Piers Cawley says above, can hold even a non-folk audience.

But if the singer can't hold a tune, hasn't bothered to practice, depends on an exercise book for the words and has only learned the damn thing so that he/she can hog as much of the session as possible it can be excrutiating!