The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #166789   Message #4020805
Posted By: GUEST,Peter
22-Nov-19 - 10:38 AM
Thread Name: The current state of folk music in UK
Subject: RE: The current state of folk music in UK
My own opinion is that the weekly Folk Club event will slowly vanish, the Festivals will increase, and there will be more events like the Soundpost Festival (Fay Heald Bryony Griffith) and we will see more informal song/tune sessions in pubs to encourage the beginners.
That is certainly the direction that the folk scene seems to be moving in at the moment. There are a handful of successful high profile clubs that may perpetuate the format but most will either folk or morph into less formal events.

At its height the folk club gave an environment where you could go as a "punter" to be entertained but would still feel connected with the performers in a way that you don't in a formal concert. This brings people on to consider performing, or participating on the organisational side which has been the strength of the movement for the past half century.

The problem with the session / singaround type of event is that it is a place to go once you feel that you can sing or play and can be intimidating to somebody who is still at the stage where they just wants to listen.