When I first put up this thread, I was curious to see whether anyone would identify the communal/community nature of folk clubs as a major factor in the conflicts on the scene.

One of the things we never got, in the other areas of music I played in, was music performed by the audience itself. We were a band, we got bookings, we (usually) got paid. Most times, the audiences danced, applauded and went home happy and frequently pissed. Result. But I can't say that we exuded a community spirit - and the organisers of the event never issued an open invitation to members of the audience to get up on stage and perform. A different, more commercial ethos prevailed.

I've mentioned in previous threads, a folk club "not a million miles away from me" where the standard, IMHO, is generally patchy, with many feeble singers glued badly to the music stand, little or no self-critical awareness and lots of self-congratulation. But it's packed out, week after week, and - apart from those, like me, who've wearied of the tedium - seen as a success. I'm convinced it's perceived that way because it's not actually a folk club - it's a "community feel-good" evening. The people are friendly, everyone's very supportive, everyone gets two numbers in their spot, everyone gets applauded to the skies. Everyone is really very nice. There's very little traditional music and, when there is, it's the old usual suspects. I hate it.

This sort of environment doesn't exist, to my knowledge, in other music genres. And I can see why such places can give rise to exasperation on "folk" threads.