I'm involved with a radical folk club, so it's a case of fraternal greetings from us here in Liverpool to all the radical folks in Middlesborough.

I really wouldn't be worried about singing traditional songs in such an environment. I do and nobody's assassinated me yet. But pick ones with a good hard social message, and be prepared to explain their history. And if you can link them to contemporary events and struggles, you're really flying.

Regarding sources, I would raid A.L. Lloyd's Come All You Bold Miners and Sam Richards' and Tish Stubbs The English Folksinger. Also, Roy Palmer's A Touch on the Times, although you'd be advised to steer clear of some of the dross which appears in that volume.

Also, I'd guess that Working Songs: Industrial Ballads and Poems from Britain and Ireland, 1780s-1980s, again by Roy Palmer would be a good choice. However, I haven't caught up with that one yet, so please don't quote me.

Finally, there's a lot of contemporary songs out there which lend themselves to folk/traditional type treatment. I'm thinking particularly of compositions by Ewan MacColl, Eric Bogle etc. But there are many more by unknown/lesser known writers. You've just got to find them.