I'm not so fond of the place myself; it lacks charm & humanity and looks like a bodged DIY job, although the beer's okay. I lament the loss of the lost old interiors of these great old pubs in which Folk Clubs and singarounds might thrive. There's even a brown carpet down in the club room! Still - it's good size room but not too big - and it warms up on a club-night in fine old style, and it isn't that The Steamer was exactly ideal, is it? We tried running a ballad session in there during the festival and lost it completely on account of the constant stream of ladies trooping through to use the back toilets as the others were blocked! Contrast that with the Poems and Pints in the same room the day before which was just blinding. When Cliff and Shirley had the Steamer it felt like a real pub - great food too. I was in there the other day with Ron and paid £2 for a crappy bun with half a slice of ham in it! In the old days you would have got crisps, salad garnish and a hefty barm stuffed with the finest filling for the same price. Hopefully the Strawberry Gardens will warm up once the plaster's dried, but one thing you can be sure of is a fine pint and a grand night, just a shame it's on a Thursday really which means our visits are few and far between.

If Jim Carroll's reading this, take note of that list of musical styles that pass as 'Folk Music' in the Famous Fleetwood Folk Club; it was this very issue that gave rise to my 1954 and All That thread. Might not be to my rarefied traddy tastes, but it makes for a jolly old club, what??