Jim Carroll
Sorry Bryan - not particularly well articulated on my part - the two clubs I mentioned were 'The Singers Club' and 'Court Sessions' both of which I helped to run and sang at (for a short time in the case of the Singers)
What I should have said was, I knew that the type of music I was going to hear corresponded to what I thought folk song sounded like, neither were 'purist' clubs and both encouraged the making and performing of new songs.

Well, that's knocked the wind out of my sails. You seem to have conceded everything I've been saying.

It is the fact that this is no longer the case in many clubs I find objectionable.

But you hardly ever go to folk clubs. What grounds do you have for saying that?