The staff service provided as described by Surreysinger sounds very impressive and for anyone interested in research or study exceedingly useful. I wasn't aware of this service before.
Even living as close to London as I do, personally I really couldn't care less about the EFDSS putting on shows either in London or elsewhere as that's something any bunch of informed amateur enthusiasts can do (and do do) for themselves if they feel like it. But the archive is an invaluable piece of cultural heritage. If the EFDSS solely focused their efforts on curating and increasing public access via internet, it would seem to me to be providing a far more essential service than any amount of either professional or indeed grass-roots 'activities,' which to be honest I'd see as unnecessary considering the amount of other people-based stuff already going on in various regions. Indeed if the EFDSS were to narrow their remit and focus their efforts on online archiving, I'd be more inclined to join the organisation. I suspect however that my priorities might not match those of much of the rest of the folk world, including current membership.