Thanks Alan - that's exactly the display of bad manners I was referring to.
Has anybody come across another menace we have witnessed on a number of occasions (not in clubs, but in music sessions - though, taking Richard's argument to its logical conclusion, there's no reason why it shouldn't happen anywhere)?
In many of our local music sessions the musicians will often have a 'song break' where they invite singers up. On at least half a dozen occasions we have come across musicians who will attempt to accompany singers, uninvited of course, (time to do what was done to Paul Newman in the Hustler maybe!!!).
Uninvited joiners-in, harmonisers, would-be-accompanists, etc, as far as I'm concerned, should be made as welcome at a folk club as mobile phones or display flatulists.
I won't even start about wandering bodhran, banjo, piano-accordeon, twelve-string kalashnikov, spoons, bottle-and-coin, or anything that comes to hand players who invite themselves into sessions in order to drown the other musicians out.
Back later, now the visitors have gone home.
Jim Carroll