Oh dear woe is me. I see that folkies are regessing & looking inward again. Do we really want to go back to the 70's & be regarded as a joke (Arran sweaters et al) or do we want to see polished performances that can hold their own with the best of them & see the music we love given more credence?

Please don't get me wrong I enjoy the true meaning of folk music, with all being able to join in & have a go, but there are many people out there who will just laugh at us if we allow ourselves to become inward looking & lose some of the polish that many of our top artist have achieved if we don't allow the 'big' events every so often. Ok I don't have a problem with Sidmouth going back to a more core festival, but please don't discount the fact that lots more ordinary people are drawn in to have a look at what's going on if there is a slicker, glossier organisation. I wonder how long the professionals will be willing to pur their hands in their own pockets?

I didn't make it to Sidmouth this year, partly because my other half is not really a folkie & only comes along if he can have a season ticket & can drift in & out of events until he can find something he can enjoy & partly because we like to do different festivals, but one thing that I hate to hear in the folk world is that it was just like it was 30 years ago.

I really hope that the festival comes back better & stronger, but please lets not go backwards.