Well, first point is that I am sorry to hear of another club closing, although I've never been to Harrogate, I have seen the same thing happen in Glasgow and nearby over the years..

However, there have also been two smaller clubs open in the city in the last few years and to my mind they are closer to what a folk club should be about. ie intimacy and friendliness and welcoming.

I have no problem with artists making a living from folk music, who am I to say someone shouldn't? But to my mind there should be a connection between the artist and the audience. Too many people these days seem too quick to become very commercial and set up barriers between themselves and the audiences.

As an example, I know of one artist who told a "funny" story to her audience about a ballad containing the word "silly" and wondering why.. Now I happened to know why (a rarity) and thought I would pass it on at the end..but got the response of "yeah I know, but I just tell it anyway..."
Disagree if you will, but to me that is just arrogant and patronsisng to the audience and doesn't set the standard of a "professional and high quality performance" mentioned above...and yes, the artist was one of those mentioned...

As for floor singers not being up to scratch, the point of a floor spot, besides entertainment for the audience, is to encourage people to learn new songs/tunes, gain confidence as a singer/musician and perhaps become the booked artists of the future.. Or should we expect them to just appear fully-formed?

I also know clubs can be clique-ish and appear daunting to someone coming along for the first time, and I'm sure many recognise this and will continue to work hard at it, nowhere and no-one's perfect..

And finally, who says "folk music will be safe in their hands"? Who said we have to leave to others to dictate what shape it will be in?Why can't we all have a hand in making it secure and in a safe state?

The alternative is not a "club" but a weekly gig with no sense of ownership by those going along. Lots of (relatively) big names, but no space for those who might fall through the cracks..
Is that really what we want?
Well I know I don't...

Andymac