Its the same all over - I started by doing floor spots in clubs to either get in free or pay a reduced admission fee , which eventually lead to the occasional paid club gig . A brief sojourn working abroad in the seventies actually put a few pounds in the bank ,most of which went on improving my instrumentation . This meant that when I had the
opportunity to do a few gigs with 'Jobbing pro' musicians , I had at least got decent equipment . Having taken early retirement from the day job , I can now either 'exist' on the pittance pension , or carry on gigging ,which at least means I can run a car and buy a drink now and then . OH Yes ! And carry on supporting the Folk Club scene which
was where I learned most of my stuff .