If I'm singing out of doors I prefer to use some PA - it's too easy to thrash your voice al fresco. Indoors it's the opposite - I don't use the sound system in many folk clubs which have one. The PA that I'm talking about is much more reinforcement than amplification. I use two Yamaha speakers smaller than most people have in their cars, and at the level I tend to use, it is almost transparent. To busk successfully you need to be heard for a reasonable radius. There's also the problem of balance, I've got plenty of vocal power but there is a limit to how far a guitar will carry and Linda's voice is not quite as powerful as mine. We used a PA at Walton FF last year (The High Street there is narrow) and had no problems with "Pissing anyone off". If people don't like the music, singing more quietly won't make any difference, it'll merely make the whole exercise a waste of time. Looking and sounding slightly more professional will at least convince the passers-by that you're not just trying to sell copies of "The Big Issue". Anyway, let's discuss it at SS - when I'be had a chance to look at the venue.