Tune sessions do tend to be 'caveat emptor,' but if you've been booked (paid or unpaid) rather than going as a punter, you're wearing a different hat. The organiser is counting on you to try to make as many people as happy as you can, because he wants them to come back next year. This doesn't mean giving everyone a go - in fact that's very rare in tune sessions - but it does mean smiling a bit and explaining what's happening and why.

Most tune people are very friendly. Concentrating hard on playing can result in some stern faces - but then this isn't a performance, so. High skill sessions are also not as common as you might think, so there's an understandable tendency to seize the moment when it does all fire off nicely. That said, the leaders can still include people with a bit of chat and a few well-known slow ones, and I personally feel I should when I've been placed in that role.

I've been more influenced by comments from the band here than by reports of what may or may not have happened (though given the early posts I can understand why they felt under the cosh).

In the end it's really down to the festival organiser to manage the expectation/experience equation well if they want to build up that side of things.

Tom