Not all clubs followed the "resident/floor singer/guest" template, and the move away from this was not always a bad thing - I knew of several clubs which existed mainly to boost the residents' egos, and floor singers found it hard to get a look-in.

The clubs I started going to in Essex in the early 1970s didn't have residents doing long spots. The Brentwood club was run by Geoff and Pennie Harris, and as I recall they'd just do a slightly extended floor spot (2 or 3 numbers) to start off each half. The Chelmsford club, in my time, didn't have any residents as such, but had a lot of very high standard floor singers.

Although I would always want to perform myself, I would also be happy to listen to the floor singers and the guest, because these would invariably be good. The guests would usually be established performers, and when the club booked less well-known performers you could usually be confident that they would also be good-quality as the club had a standard and reputation to maintain.

Most of the clubs I now see advertised seem to consist mostly of floor spots, sadly many of which are pretty average. They may occasionally book a local performer as a guest, but unless the club has already established a benchmark standard I am unlikely to be tempted by someone I know nothing about.

These days I hardly ever go to folk clubs. Instead I usually go to music sessions where I can play all evening, and usually get in a song or two if I like.