Countess Richard

I'm delighted by your rapid response and fiesty defence of the English Tradition.   

As luck would have it I Saw Dick Gaughan in Cambridge last month. Perhaps a tad less 'radical' than he might be on home soil, but as fine a "troublemaker" as you could ever wish to encounter with some great stories. He was also supported a fabulous young and local Irish band, NoID, who by all accounts are mostly still at school, They were terrific, and I understand that they were being taught by an organisation similar to those you mention.

I am indeed aware of new acts at English festivals but I obviously need to get out more.

"Ventures like Folkworks and Shooting Roots are producing fantastic musicians, singers and dancers who certainly are connected with, and proud of their heritage. And yes, many of them don't see the folk clubs tucked away in dingy rooms above sleazy bars as relevant to them. I cannot blame them."

So is the folk club on its last legs, soon to die out as an irrelevance? Maybe thats what they deserve? It's a relief that the tradition is not reliant on these clubs for survival. I'm a great believer that the 'tradition' and the music is far more important than individual personalities. In a peculiar way maybe it has a life of its own. Long may it continue, with or without (shite)folk clubs!.

I'm very pleased to stand corrected, and delighted to be able to discuss this topic!

SM