To make myself clear - it was never about being done "properly" - it was and is about it being done proficiently - nobody is going to sit and listen to bad out-of-tune singing read from crib sheets
There have been enough complaints here of a hostility towards traditional unaccompanied songs in some clubs
Our own experience was when my partner, Pat, tried to arrange a tour for the last of our big traditional singers, Walter Pardon
The phoned a club organised who advertised itself as "folk" and when asked what Walter did, explained his performance, repertoire and importance
She was told, "We don't do that sort of thing - we're a folk club"
Jim Carroll