The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #116988 Message #2517137
Posted By: Spleen Cringe
16-Dec-08 - 03:49 PM
Thread Name: The Recession and Folk Clubs.
Subject: RE: The Recession and Folk Clubs.
I'm neither an organiser nor a performer, but that seemingly rare commodity in the folk world, a paying punter. I thought I'd add my tuppence worth, which I'm sort of loathe to do, as the stock answer is often "If you don't like what you see, try doing it yourself"... which, frankly, I have neither the time nor inclination to do. I also think those who merely pay at the door are entitled to an opinion.
This post is not about purely concert clubs. There aren't any of those near me, more's the pity. As a non-singer and non-player having one around would be a relief.
Reading these parallel threads about folk clubs makes me almost come to the conclusion that the folk club world is not for the likes of me. It seems as if there is a level of resentment to guest performers (either on the lines of "I'm not paying more than three or four quid to see so-and-so" or "we'll stay away tonight, there's a guest in" or "the guest can come on only after Tom, Dick and Harry who come here every week have done their party piece")... and it's the guest performers I'm most interested in.
You see, when you're always in the audience and never on the stage, whoever sings and plays is the entertainment, regardless of whether they are a guest or a floor singer or a resident or whatever. If I have a limited number of nights out (full time job, young kids, other commitments) I want where possible for it to be enjoyable. Taking turn with your folk club pals to sing at each other (regardless of how little time the guest is left with and regardless of whether you're any good) is probably great fun if you're part of it. Not so much fun if you're merely observing. Sometimes you come up trumps. Sometimes it can feel like the longest support act in the world.
It also seems financially as if the folk world exists in a little bubble of unreality. I would never expect only to spend four quid if I was off to a rock or jazz or Americana or world music gig. Hell, even my local nu-folk and acoustic night, Hedge, charges £5 - 10 to get in depending on who's on. And it's always packed. I'd actually prefer to drive fifteen plus miles to Bury Met (the closest art centre venue that puts on folk gigs regularly) and pay a tenner for good acoustics, decent seats, a good view and a nice vibe than any other way of enjoying folk music. I just wish I could do it locally but the folk club mob are too busy celebrating themselves to worry about us folk loving outsiders with a 'rock music' attitude to how we mainline our music.
No wonder I stick with my CD collection most of the time.
Honourable exception is the singaround, which doesn't confuse anyone by trying to be three different, to my mind, incompatible things simultaneously, but simply is what it is.