Seems to me there are so many variable factors as to what will make an audience turn out.

At The Milkmaid in Bury St Edmunds, we've recently changed our routine, and no longer have 'open' type nights, but have a main act and a support. Once a month is a 'nationally' known guest, once a month a quality local act as the main act, and more or less monthly americana nights.

There is now a seperate club, the Bury Folk Collective catering for those that want self entertainment, putting on an 'open night' monthly, 'mainly trad unacompanied round the room' again monthly, and an 'unplugged americana' monthly.

The Milkmaid has had a mixed bag in terms of numbers recently and it seems to me that it is more down to the draw of the individual act, and if they have a following in the local area. As a 'for instance' recent guests have included Brooks Williams, who although an American, lives just down the road in Cambridge and is well known both locally and nationally, and Wendy Arrowsmith, who made her first apperance at the Milkmaid a couple of months ago, but not her first apperance in Bury St Edmunds, and has built a bit of a local following here, both of those acts drew decent crowds of between 30-40. Just over a week ago, we had American act Beverley Smith and John Grimm, and a paying audience of 6! Earlier on in the year, Roy Bailey and Peter Knight's Gigspanner both had an almost full house. The nights with the quality local acts are generally fairly well attended, as it gives them an opportunity to showcase themselves with a full length concert, and of course they all encourage friends etc to come along.

Promotion is all important, we use facebook, posters in the town, the local press (if we can get them to do it, which can be a struggle!)leaflets at other events etc etc.

John