I've been to the weekly gathering myself and friends run on a Wednesday up here in North Yorkshire and this is what we had this evening - I just replied to an email from someone who is going to come soon so rather than rewrite I'll post it - he asked if we were still going:

"Very much going every week. Just got back a few minutes ago in fact.

It's a mixed singaround / session and it operates on a very simple basis - we go round the room and if people want to do something they can and if they don't they don't. The mix of people and content changes weekly and there could be anything going on from unaccompanied (and uninterrupted) solo song to everyone playing along and singing to solo things on instruments, occasional Les Barker monologues, pretty much anything.

The only thing we expect is that people respect others and don't join in if it's inappropriate and do if it is welcomed. We had a recent week where a young folk rock band came and visited and joined in as well as playing some of their own stuff - my wife sang a version of Willow Tree (the arrangement shamelessly pinched from Eliza Carthy) and we had the backing of 3 fiddles, concertina, melodeon, trumpet (!), three guitars, electric bass, harmonica and a lot of singing! We try and treat everyone equally whoever they are and even when we once had about 30+ performers there (including people who play (semi- or)professionally) everyone waited their turn or played. Some are good, some less so but standard is reasonable I think and we make quite a volume of sound when we all join in together!

Numbers vary - this week there were between 35 and 40 people there of whom about 18 or 19 played or sung (most weeks there are 30 something people there, rarely less). The rest listen or just come to the pub for a drink and chat - it can get noisyish sometimes, it's not a club or a concert.

Everyone got at least a couple of tunes or songs and there was a range of stuff from chorus to solo to Jake Thackray to sets of fiddle tunes (in an average evening there are probably 40+ songs or tunes). We start about 8:30 and finish about 12:00 ish. Pretty much never know who will come but most people come back! Tonight there was a chap who comes from lkley when he can, a mudcatter I have known a little for a few years on his way to Whitby who I saw in Sidmouth the other week, people from York, Pocklington/Barmby Moor as well as localish people. Age range varies from teens to a chap who used to come and sin who was in his nineties.

There are two very short clips at Short clip 1 and Short Clip 2 which may give an idea - the room is not the best room in the world but we have a good time whether 15 or 50 people come and the not knowing is part of the fun. I hope that helps and you'd be very welcome - if you have any other questions let me know"

From our end audiences (and players) are growing, but we are limited by the physical size of the room and the relative remoteness of the pub from towns and cities