Richard Bridge, sir,
With the best will in the world, you are only an add-on musician to a side that is now well muso-ed, so you aint exactly "shackled" to the side.
I am sure nobody would mind if you were to go do your own thing during the Hop Fest.
My own wife is in the same class of "extras" when she is not dancing, or when the childrens side is not in attendance and requiring her leadership.
With Happy Trails, Jumbo Gumbo and any likelyhood of anything else that takes her fancy - she is off, mate !!!
It is unfortunate that so many good singers and musos belong to morris sides that are usually dancing somewhere else just when sessions are struggling to keep going inside the pubs of the town.
When evening comes and dancing is done, these folks find those same sessions too crowded to be able to get a look in.
Such is life huh?
I like two day jobbies, when the side is dancing for one day - singing/playing/heckling the next :-)