Now I know a bit more about this incident, it sounds to me like a bad case of British lack of assertiveness. We 'tut-tut' or try to bottle up our indignation (and I'm no better here) until someone explodes in a tirade of expletives. Much better for someone to approach them and ask them politely and assertively (not aggressively – big difference) to turn the volume down, or failing that find somewhere where their conversation will not disturb the session. To resort to shouting across the bar not only reflects on the performer and the folk scene in general, but with the language used, risks offence to members of the public in the pub at that time.

I assume we are talking about the session in the 8 Bells bar, so there is bound to be some background noise.

That said, stewards do have a responsibility to help the festival run smoothly, and that includes sensitivity to nearby performers, so Richard (and anyone else for that matter), if you have any problems this year, see me or Bob & Kathy Drage, and we will do something about it (I'll be the picture of sartorial elegance wearing a pink and blue striped jacket, desperately trying to marshal 25+ morris and dance teams around the town!).

Look forward to seeing you all there.