I'll take a pseudonym, so as to avoid the mud-slinging that seems to be aimed at GUESTs.

I won't reveal my identity. It would be worth remembering that many here may conceal their identity because it would be professionally indiscreet to reveal it. I'm nothing to write home about, but as someone at least vaguely associated with the folk/roots musical world, it makes little sense to nail my colours to the mast on the subject of someone I might meet, bump into at a festival, work for/with.

Just to count myself out of a few of the other generalisations above, I like Show of Hands and Seth Lakeman, so its not about success.

My objection to the Winterset is the clear victory of marketing over content; the disparity between ability and perception. This is ever more apparent with the departure of Jackie and Belinda, both of whom could be considered to have been propping the band up, in my opinion. Admittedly, one person's raw, honest singing is another person's untrained, out-of-tune wail, but afraid I'm closer to the latter category than the former where the Unthanks are concerned.

My question is this; why have they received the attention that they have? Is it to do with the music, or is it to do with a strong, some might say overly so, manager/agent? There are some interesting stories doing the rounds about Adrian McNally, and I won't claim to know which ones are true, but one might conclude something about smoke and fire. Are folk audiences so gullible as to be taken in by a few choice quotes from "famous" or "mainstream" types (the Phil Jupitus one springs to mind), or are there some more discerning types about?