Pip Radish:
It sounds as if Bryan's club discourages it so effectively that he never sees it at all. I wonder what their secret is?

I won't speak for Bryan - he's perfectly capable of doing that himself - but I have been to, and performed at the club as a 1-song floorspotter, and here's my purely personal opinion.

The club is home to a number of talented residents, of whom I've seen quite a few elsewhere. It has a strong swing towards traditional music but is hospitable to odds-and-sods like me who don't, on the whole, play that kind of music. It runs a very active and well-publicised series of workshops and tunes sessions. It has a reputation, I believe, in the area for excellence - as does its sister club (brother?) the Royal Oak. I think any aspiring singer who wanted to perform there would be aware of that excellence - and would make the effort to give as much as they could. And they would be welcomed for it.

As I said earlier, part of sensible thinking about whether to make an appearance at a club for the first time is to go there, case the joint, and think how you might fit in. Perhaps this works. People CAN be self-regulating, though it's apparent from the experience of other people here, that they often aren't.