Howard Jones

Reading this, not only does it appear that people want different things from folk clubs, but the things they want are diametrically opposed.

This has pre-empted something I was working up to saying. I think "diametrically opposed" might be putting it a bit strong but there are conflicts of interest.

Some want the chance to sing, Some don't want "to sit through hours of dire floorsingers". (Slight exageration there, I think.) Some only want to sit in neat rows listening to the top professionals. Some want to sit round little tables with candles and floral arrangements and waitresses serving the drinks.

And what do you want to hear/sing? Folk according to the 1954 definition? The Wild Rover, Fields of Athenry and the Black Velvet Band? Dylan? The Beatles? Nu-folk? (Whatever that may be.) Wall-to-wall Irish diddly-diddly? Blues? Bluegrass?....

No club can hope to do all of those things at once and if it tries to do them all in succession it's hardly going to build up a loyal core audience.

Obviously what we need is more (and more varied) folk clubs and to do that, we need more organisers. Let them run their club according to their likes and dislikes and they will attract a like minded audience. The club down the road can do it differently and attract a different (although probably overlapping audience).