My best advice I would give to the originator of this thread is to avoid any venue where Tyke(George Clarke)turns up to take over completely with his amplified guitar.

I have seen this happen now at Holmfirth festival of Folk and also at the recent Cleckheaton Folk festival but suspect that he may do this wherever and as often as he can. At Cleckheaton there had been a lovely (un-plugged)session of accompanied and unaccompanied singing in The Wickham for many hours. George turns up; decides to plug the amplifier into his guitar; turns it into a "Sing along with George" night and completely takes over the whole thing!

All the 'real' folkies who had sung ther hearts out all night left very quickly in disgust and were quite rightly furious.

I am sorry George, because I do not aim to pick on you or single you out, but I have to say that that sort of behaviour; in my humble opinion; is completely selfish, egotistical, self-centered, antisocial and frankly b****y ignorant!

For the life in me I cannot understand how you can be so thick-skinned and not see how your actions can be so insulting and unthinking to real down-to-earth traditional folkies you call your friends. You have done so much to promote and encourage the grass routes of 'folk' for so long so why decide to poke it in the eye now?? I am baffled, I really am; I thought you would know better than that.

I am truly sorry if I have brought an element of some conflict and negativity to this thread. I have no intention to upset anyone and if I do upset George I am sorry but rather think that he has brought this upon himself.

All I am saying is if you see George (Tyke) start to pull out his amplfier at an event near you just shout very loudly "No George, put it away, that just won't do!"

Chris