Will's absolutely right in his comments about the vibrancy of the scene down here in the South East of England. It's not just Sussex (East or West) but Kent, Surrey and Hampshire where the singaround/session/folk club scene is alive, vibrant and healthy.

I could go to 2 or 3 different events in the above categories almost any night of the week here, within a 20-30 minute (max) drive of home. Tuesdays are a bit thin for some reason, but almost any other night I'm spoilt for choice....FIVE options this coming Monday, 4 of which I'd really like to go to. Some are traddy, some are quiet, more like 7 or 8 friends gathered in someone's sitting room than a pub session, and some are lively. They're all good fun. Like Will, the odd one I found to be too serious or too exclusive, I stopped going to. lenty more to choose from.

The Bull session at Ditchling is the only one I travel a fair way for ( an hour each way) because it's just so damned GOOD. Anyone who thinks it's "better" to listen to a recording at home should get along to this session! It's lively, yes, but when the occasional unaccompanied song's performed, or someone nervous like me tries to play/sing, the people are very sensitive to the moment.

As to "singing it wrong"...no-one's ever *told* me that, it's just been the odd occasion when a "joiner-in" (at singarounds, not sessions) has tried to browbeat me during the song into doing it their way (or are just so used to doing it that way that they're not even aware that I'm deviatig from the "norm"). It's not so bad with "standards" like John Barleycorn as there are a gazillion different versions of that one so no-one is mentally "hearing" a definitive version.