Yes, we're on the same wavelength, in fact I've referred people who have enquired to that very website as a starter!

As you say, it's early days, and other than the guest musicians, we've not really had many instrument players. Maybe that'll change on Feb 1st, Chris Taylor & Steve Moreham are going to be there... what has happened is that the players have been versatile enough to play along with the singers, adding a bit of something to their performance..

oddlly enough, the chat level in the background rises directly proportionately to the didly-tune count, something to do with heart rhythms I guess... the pub hushes for a solo female singer but almost breathes out & starts chatting when the tunes recur... there's a debate about the cultural thing here, it wouldn't happen in other countries where perhaps they're not quite so used to wall-to-wall supermart muzak...

We do have a hymn sheet of chorus songs which are just a start- When All Men Sing, Wild Mountain Thyme, Banks Of The Roses, Jock Stewart, Yarmouth Town, etc- perhaps I should put those on the website. I think it'd definitely be a good idea to have a batch of regular tunes. We seem to have mainly guitarists, and some who play electric riffs on acoustic instruments which can't really be heard. To their credit, I think they've realised this and are adapting accordingly. Some have barely played in public acoustically!

As you can see, we're trying to avoid Deal guest nights, I've spoken to Avril about it. Don't think there's a lot of crossover- most woodshedders seem to be very local and not particularly folk-orientated (yet)...