Dave Polshaw
I would honestly explain to any new face at the door that it was a singers night and that anything could, and often did, happen.

Salesman of the year. "I must explain that what is going on in here may be absoloute crap so think very carefully before parting with your 50p."
It would certainly put off Folkiedave.

If we put 2 floor singers on in each half, say 2 15 minute spots

But just when and how would you put them on? During a Martin Carthy concert with 50 paying?

We generally give shorter spots and get more people on. Obviously exactly what happens depends on the circumstances. Concertina ceol said we had seven on Spiers and Boden's night; I wasn't counting. That was out of about 30 potential floorsingers out of an audience of 50. Choices have to be made but not by looking at the list and crossing out the no hopers. Two were people we had booked in the past and one we've got coming in a few weeks. I think the others were all visitors one or two of which we had never heard before.

On less star studded nights we try to get as many as possible on. This is what the argument is really about. There are some on this list who seem to be arguing that nobody should even be allowed into a singers night until they have passed some sort of quality test.