A few years ago in Manchester, quite a lot of nu-folk/alt.folk/freak folk nights sprang up. Just like 'proper' folk nights, some of them got lots of people turning up on spec, regardless of who was playing. That's because the best of them got the reputation of being very good nights out - Hedge in Whalley Range being my favourite and nearly always full. However, this wasn't spontaneous - it took a lot of hard work and promotion on the part of JoJo who ran the night.

I'm not convinced this is the same in the indie world - but that's maybe because people know they have to wade through a lot of old toss to hear the good stuff. The deal with local band nights seems to be 'bring as many of your mates as you can, so we can sell some beer' - which is fine, but definitely a different model.

I wonder if we're a bit spoiled in Manchester? Manchester based indie folk lovelies, Harp and a Monkey, tend to play in lots of small Lancashire and Yorkshire towns, where there isn't that much live music (especially compared to Manchester) and they not only get a good turn out but get asked back. They struggle to get the same results when they play Manchester gigs, though...