Whitby Folk Club held their weekly club night at the Plough, last night(wednesday)they,ve just been carrying on as normal,keeping their heads down and trying not to rock the boat,just sitting tight until the proverbial sh** hits the fan.I understand they,ve had no official notice to cease functioning yet, but The White Horse Folk Club organiser has received a phone call from the Brewery and told to stop forwith. It seems Humphrey Smith has blown a fuse at all the adverse publicity.

Not that I advocate this as a way to solve anything - but it will be difficult for Whitby Folk Club (unless they change venues) 'to keep their heads stuck in the sand' - if folk post here to tell all-and-sundry- that such events are happening. However, one possible explanation is that it could well be that the current PRS/PPL licenses are still covering some of Sam Smith's pubs.

If - as we are given to understand - that this move was a protest at the increased PRS/PPL etc fees for 2006 - publicity is what they were seeking - and no publicity is bad publicity - or so they say. But perhaps as most of this seems to be directed to them (and not toward the bodies responsible for the increased fees) they would now be more prepared for a more selective protest - one that the public and their customers would support?

Under the new system the largest city or town centre pubs will pay a £1,905 initial application fee and an annual fee of £1,050 to the local authority - before it was £30 every three years to the magistrates to serve alcohol until 11pm at night regardless of venue size.

Despite our Government's claims that the Act will provide more opportunity for live music, it must now be clear to everyone, that with this size of increase in general pub running costs in an increasingly competitive market place - that somthing is going to have to go. It is rather unlikely that many musicians are going to be paid - in addition to this overall increase - so it will be live music that will suffer.

And the last thing needed is for PRS/PPL etc to increase their fees as well. I feel that is time for us all to press our MPs etc to demand the promised review of the effects on the Licensing Act 2003 on live music. There is little point in us waiting until there is none......