bob - don't go back to suffolk. Get involved in a club and help organise it. It is easy to critisise from the outside - but change happens from within.
Small time gigs! - a folk club gig should be the pinnicale of your career if you are a serious folk musician - playing in front of knowledgeable people who are often also performers in their own right. You won't ever get a better audience. Pubs and festivals mostly don't want clever - just the drum machine and well known songs. I know clubs often can not afford a lot - but it was never about the money.
I saw Isambard last night - and didn't see anyone sneaking out apart from regularly topping up on the fine selection of beers available.
FloraG.