Hi there. Derek won't deal with it himself - he'll pass the information on, and depending on who the artist is and what I can find out about was actually said, I might have a chat with them. Or I might not. I would agree with everything that's been said on both sides, funnily enough. Sidmouth is great because the artists socialise, participate in sessions, and are part of things in a way that they aren't at many other festivals. On the other hand, audiences have the right to expect that an artist isn't enjoying themselves so much that it interferes with their ability to deliver the performance for which they are being paid and the audience is paying. I've been in the audience at another festival where artists excused a below-par performance by telling us they'd been out on the razzle the night before, and found it rather disrespectful and unprofessional.

As with so many things, it's about balance. :)