Oh, well.. if Ebbie doesn't mind; it's helping to keep the thread going, anyway.
Anonymous guest: the somgs were recorded on a camera, and the sound is not the best quality. I don't have the money to het a professional video done. If organisers are going to judge my performance on the quality of the recording, they might just as well say they didn't like the colour of my shirt. I'm not trying to sell the videos; they are just to give people a taste of what I do. As regards concentrating on festivals, I'd rather sing in clubs. Festival bookinngs can be very unsatisfactory, and, frankly, a pain in the arse. And they are not interested in people like me anyway.
Hi Mike. Glad you liked the songs. There'll be more soon.
Matt: I can take your point about 'people's tolerance for the kind of overproduced, glossy CD....' etc. It's probably true to some extent. The triumph of style over content (which is peretty much what showbiz is all about; folk music should be more honest - it used to be the antidote to showbiz, but not any more). But I have heard adverse comments about this sort of thing from some organisers, and one lady in Scotlamd said that what I was doing was right; that she had booked a duo on the strength of a great-sounding CD, and was disappointed with the reality - they didn't sound the same on stage.
And you may have a different experience in London. I haven't been much within the M25 yet - I've done floor spots at five clubs around the peripheries, and have been booked twice at Orpington (Change of Horses). But I have found it easier to get dates in the south east generally, than in other areas. Pity it's 200 miles away! I get no support from my local clubs. There are half a dozen clubs around the north west where I get booked over and over, but the ones nearest home just ignore me. It's a closed shop.
John Kelly.