I would think that many of the musicians who play or host sessions in our folk pubs (not clubs) are like that: other people can be chatting at the bar, not really listening, but every so often a particular song or tune will command the attention of everyone, and assembled company will fall quiet for a few minutes, only for the tide of noise to rise again when that singer/player has finished. The pub hosts generally do not use any amplification, just play acoustically. If it does get too raucous at the bar, the occasional STFU gets roared by the bar staff!