Liz and I played five concerts this year and all were packed venues. Two sold out before the official starting time. This was the experience of other booked acts that I talked to. The concerts were very much busier than previously. This did not at any time reflect the weather outside. I also wandered around the town and noticed the shortage of sessions but its worth noting the following. The sessions in pubs are not part of the festival itself. They are 'fringe' events. Now this doesn't mean that they are any less important than the 'official' events but rather that they are organised ad hoc by people who, for whatever reasons, do not buy season tickets. The venues in the official festival found themselves packed with season ticket holders. It is this which makes Whitby 2011 different. We basically had less people in the fringe and more buying season tickets. Thus, the sessions in town were quieter on the whole. As Aleksandr says, 'Simples!'