Whilst it's certainly true that there aren't as many thriving folk clubs in the Manchester (UK) area as there used to be, there are enough left to demonstrate that us 'bearded balding bellies' have left a legacy that the young 'uns are picking up on.

The Railway folk club in Heatley, for example, is still thriving after over twenty years, with weekly audiences in excess of forty (people, not age!). Singers' Nights attract a fairly even balance of performers and listeners, and the age range of regulars is from 16 to 80!

A good balance of traditional and contemporary music is essential; I'm not keen on some singer-songwriters who seem so conceited as to think an audience will put up with their own material for the whole evening - they should really intersperse their own stuff with tried-and-tested material... but that's just my opinion...!!

Vin Garbutt is a good examples of someone who writes good songs, but is prepared to vary his material with that of others; Pete Coe is another...

Harvey Andrews is a good example of someone who can carry the evening entirely with his own high quality material; Allan Taylor is another...

I'd rather not cite any bad examples here, though...!

Spiers and Boden are a duo whose repertoire is almost entirely traditional music, but with their own individual interpretation, and their combined age doesn't add up to 'over fifty' yet! They are able to appeal to the older folkies, whilst encouraging the youngsters to have a go. If you haven't seen them yet, it's time you did!

I suppose my anser to the question 'Are all folkies over fifty' really depends on the actual definition of 'folkies'. If folkies are those who were around folk clubs in the 1960s (as I was), then the answer has to be 'yes'.

If 'folkies' are those who enjoy good folk music, then the answer must be 'no'.

In defining 'folkies' I don't believe that we should differentiate between listeners and performers; nor should we differentiate between those who perform traditional songs, tunes and poetry and those who write their own material. To do so suggests some form of 'elitism' which has been seen to be destructive in the past... and which still exists in some clubs.

The only criterion is the style of the music... if it is in the folk idiom, or not. There are some performers getting gigs in folk clubs whose material is anything but in the folk idiom...

But that's another debate...