"people go there to socialise as well, more so than they do with concerts."
NO THEY DO NOT - this is the arrogance of the professional performer - that singing of any worth cannot take place unless they are present.
THEY SHOULD GO THERE PRIMARILY TO SING - socialising is, or should be, subsidiary to this.
I can go down to the pub to socialise, and if the landlord is tolerant enough, we might even get a few songs in.
"i disagree it makes a lot of difference as does having ten good residents."
Are you suggesting that paper=-shuffling is the norm?
Why did the clubs close - been through that - probably because too many clubs decided not to tell the potential punters what they were likely to hear when they turned up at a folk club - it's why me and my mates stopped going.
Some of the best singers on the scene did a runner when that became the norm.
I couldn't give a toss if Boomtown wannabes are virtuosi or have to read from crib-sheets - it's not what I want to hear at a folk club - not the organisers of some clubs nowadays, apparently
Jim Carroll