Rather liked this from stallion {Date: 28 Sep 14 - 07:30 PM}

1: "the answer, I think, lies in the quality of the performers"

2: "To get bums on seats one has to put a decent show on week in week out"

3: "I think most people are like myself, have quite an eclectic mix of musical tastes, a penchant for live music rather than recorded music, but if am listening I do like it played well."

All statements of what I would assume most would view as being blindingly obvious, and I agree 100% with all of the above. However in "Folk Clubs" up and down the country, "Folk" music and song is rarely performed and the other option mentioned by stallion is adopted, i.e.

"turn it into a sing around or session with no paid guests and quite rightly everyone regardless of talent or expertise gets a go"

No it is not "finger-in-ear" performers and the "trousers-up-to-their-tits" crowd that are responsible for the demise of "Folk Clubs" it is the absolute dire performance of material of any type churned out each night that has to be dutifully endured by the rest of the audience at these "singarounds" that tends to kill the thing off. Daftest thing I have seen is a group asking to be allowed to sing, who then went into a huddle to decide what it was they were going to sing, then all pulled out "smartphones" to get the lyrics on screen then commence to "perform". Unfortunately none of them could hold a tune and all read their lyrics from varying sizes of screen at different speeds - F**kin' woeful was not the word for it. Mostly it is the sight of massively thick loose-leaf binders bulging with song lyrics that are only consulted after the person has been asked to sing - if you cannot be bothered to learn the song - you will not be able to sing it, you most certainly will not be able to perform it (Might as well read out a laundry or shopping list) - the other odd thing is that for all the material crammed into that bloody folder - it's always the same effin songs each week!!