I've timed Vin, Richard, on several occasions. He will do 6 songs in a 40-minute set, pretty much every time. That means on average a 3-minute patter interval, or roughly as much talking as singing. But then, his patter is part and parcel of the performance. Lots of people would miss it if it wasn't there, myself included. The other extreme - that of simply saying "this is a song about x" and nothing more - can be pretty dry. In fact I know two great singers, for whose singing I have the greatest love and respect, who unfortunately fall in the second category and as a result have a smaller following than their abilities deserve. It's perhaps unfortunate, but in any case inevitable, that in the world of gigging/concerts (as opposed to sessions/singarounds) the entertainment factor comes more strongly into play.

And talking about factors, no, Betsy, please don't worry, Simon the Cow is safe from me. I have no ambitions to become a folk impressario or hairy-chested botoxed-to-an-inch-of-my-life Lothario like Simon the C. But I do have a love of folk clubs, it's where I come from musically, and I saw Folk21 and the organisation of the Regional Day and showcase as a good way to try and repay back some of my debt. If it sounds too syrupy or smarmy I don't give a toss, it's still the truth.