OK, time for the unvarnished truth.

I have read with interest the comments of Richard Bridge and Legal Eagle.

I apologise in advance, teller, 'cos you ain't going to like this. NOI, no personal animus, but you asked why it wasn't going well. I live the other side of the country and have not been. But my wife has, once herself and once with my daughter. Two different years. Same comments First time she accompanied daughter. Second time she played and sang herself. Guitarist/recorder player. I asked them and they told me. This information is one/two years old and may be out of date, but here goes.

The event is not well run. The residents are a sort of band, with a big african drum, and a violinist of limited ability. (Generally drummers (of all kinds) and banjo players and fiddle players all need keeping in order. They are noisy. Likewise squeezers.) The band play sort of something like reggae, nothing like folk. This makes a difficult gear-change to get folk singers on. The instruments are amplified but the voice is not, so the voice is inaudible (unless you have my daughter's voice, which can take down the walls of Jericho at the range of 3 miles). The band takes ages between songs and no-one tells the audience what is going on - so the locals talk. No-one comperes, no-one keeps the locals in order, no-one shushes them for performers to get started. No wonder performers feel unwelcome.

The times daughter/wife played, they just about managed to start to get some people listening -daughter perhaps more so than mother, but then talking louder than daughter's singing is difficult - then they were hauled off (perhaps a touch of greeneye?), and it took ages to get the "band" going again, so by the time it started, everyone had started talking again. Another singer who also did fairly traditional material also found the audience less than welcoming and advised going to another local club (Torrington) instead. Check what Torrington do that is different.

If you want local performers, make them welcome. Talk to them in the interval and at the end. Make sure they don't have to push in to get a song or two. Residents are hosts. They have to take second place to the floorsingers, who are guests. If visitors ask to borrow an instrument, chances are they know how to play it, so make it a decent one and make sure it is in tune in advance. (Wife's comments on instrument she was lent fairly unprintable). You should know your own instrument best so tune it yourself, in advance, for the borrower. Tell them they can tune it if they feel it is or has gone out. If they are using PA make sure it is right for them - don't just leave them to try to set the mics on unfamiliar stands. If you are mic-ing guitars get the mic where it can do the job, and is not in the way. Make sure any monitors are well set. Make sure there is applause to greet the floorsingers, and when they finish. Say something nice about them. Even if they play banjo keep the banjo jokes good humoured.

Make the listeners hear what is about to be going on - let them know. Don't leave long gaps. If there is noisy conversation, deal with it. One of you is bound to be the best compere. Find out who, and why, and play to strengths if necessary. Inform, entertain, and keep the show going.

I should admit that we are not infallible. Wife and I have had a closed club (as distinct from a moved one) - but we know exactly the problem - noise, and a landlord who was noisiest of all, and would not offend his pool team by shutting them up. Singers voted with their feet. Why should they have to struggle to be heard? This, I think, is not the same problem as you have.