i>Unless an artist arises - young and charismatic with mass popular appeal, like Bob Dylan did and gives the whole thing a kick up the arse, I think the folk festival phenomena will plod along and burn itself out sometime this century - as the 60's generation peg out.

That'll explain why there were loads of new festivals this year and that some established ones like Shrewsbury have had a massive expansion. It'll also explain why there are lots of new young bands and groups and singers coming onto the scene.

And of course bands like Whapweasel, Bellowhead,(they not fit into your young charismatic popular appeal criteria then?) Demon Barbers, Glorystrokes, Hekety, Crucible, Glorystrokes, Last Orders, Kerfuffle haven't taken the music forward at all.

All the festivals I go to have loads of young people who come to see bands like these. That's without Seth Lakeman and Eliza Carthy.