The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #166050 Message #3990738
Posted By: Howard Jones
04-May-19 - 04:35 PM
Thread Name: uk folk clubs high standard
Subject: RE: uk folk clubs high standard
What is seems to come down to is that on your few recent visits to UK folk clubs you have come away disappointed. That is unfortunate, because as many have pointed out there are plenty of other clubs where you would have had a better experience. However from those bad experiences you have formed a view of the state of the entire club scene. When others point out that your experience may not be the whole picture you simply dismiss them, claiming in your support an article in a magazine which ceased publication 40 years ago.
Are there fewer folk clubs now than there used to be? Undoubtedly. Do some clubs allow or even encourage poor practice such as reading from song sheets? True. Are those clubs typical? Not in my experience. Have standards declined? Not in my experience.
The folk scene has changed, and clubs no longer dominate it the way they used to. It is now in the hands of a younger generation who do things their own way, and in their own venues. Those I know take the music seriously and standards, especially of instrumental music, are probably higher than ever. There are many excellent young performers, and traditional music remains at the core of what many of them do. There are more opportunities to study aspects of folk music (not just the degree courses but workshops, summer schools, conferences, etc). For those interested in 'authentic' traditional music, resources are now much more easily available than before.
The folk scene is in my opinion in pretty good shape. I'm sorry you seem to have turned your back on it, because you are missing out on some good music.