"I wonder when people will come to terms with the fact that this is why club audiences have shrunk to what they have"

.....errrr. no, this is plainly wrong (with the folk club I am involved with anyway), if I didn't call it a folk club, I could double the attendance. It is the image (being perpetuated by the BBC at the moment) of fingers in ears, woolly jumpers and 97 verse unaccompanied ballads that puts people off). Having said that I believe (some) trad song is worth preserving, but it will have to rub shoulders with songs that people know they want to listen to.

Jim, why not start your own club then putting on just "trad folk", if your theory is correct it should be packed out? I'd gladly visit once in a while and I'd gladly eat my words above.

Paul