Well the "youngsters" in the Tunbridge Wells area are largely playing at the "Local & Live" event this weekend....it's a free event held on the Pantiles over the weekend with around 100 bands or solo artistes on 2 stages (1 electric, 1 acoustic). Not for profit, and all the bands and artistes are local, almost all living within a 15 mile radius of Tunbridge Wells.

Just looking at the lineups for the acoustic stage should give an inkling that young acoustic musicianship is alive and well (if not exactly beating down the doors to the more "traddy" venues in town). Remember, all these people are from the immediate area around the town. A lot of them are excellent, too, it's not just an "anyone who turns up can play" event. Paul holds fairly rigorous auditions and most of the acts appearing play regularly at one of the local venues (the venues I mentioned way up-thread that I can't seem to get the older people interested in).

L & L Acoustic Stage Saturday

Acoustic Stage L & L Sunday

Acoustic Stage L & L Monday

There'll be upwards of 20,000 visitors to the event over the weekend.

The electric stage tends to have more bands than solo artistes, but a lot of these also have "folky" influences:

Main Stage L & L Breretons

So yes, "yoof" musician ship is alive and well as I said above...they just don't hang around in the same places as we old gits, most of the time.