Villain - your poor taste in sports aside!!
The first contact that I and I suspect, most others here, ever had with folk song was by visiting a club - I would not have dreamed of spending my hard-earned wages in going to a concert of music I was unfamiliar with. As it happened, the club I started with - the Liverpool Spinners, as lightweight as the music was, was profesionally run by people who were friendly and welcoming, but who took seriously the job of entertaining me and didn't compromise on standards. I continued going to their club until I found a different, more satisfying and long-lasting type of folk music to fulfil my needs.
I find it as difficult to equate proficient with unfriendly and unwelcoming as I do having to equate work with lack of enjoyment.
As far as locking away your poorer singers when the guests arrive - I have to confess I find this totally insulting to any club audience.
An audience that has dragged themselves through the pissing rain to a residents night has, as far as I'm concerned, earned far more of my respect than one who goes along just to see Martin Carthy. Your committment should be to give of your best at all times, not just to impress a guest (or his/her followers) with your most seasoned residents.
I've argued this before but any club should be in a position to put on a good night, even if it cannot afford guests, or the one you booked cancels at the last minute, or whatever. A guest night should be one where you present a new face, not necessarily a better one.
As far as the 'family' bit; there is nothing more offputting for a newbie than to walk into a room and realise that everybody knows everybody else - except you, no matter how 'friendly' and 'welcoming' they are!
Jim Carroll