What Are People Singing in Folk Song Clubs?

Reflections on songs sung in two East Midlands folk clubs 2017-2023

Abstract

There is a long-standing debate over the nature and definition of ‘folk music’. The Victorian and Edwardian collectors have been criticised for filtering the repertoires of their sources to promote class-based ideas of ‘the folk’. This reflective paper proposes an alternative perspective on the folk song repertoire by considering what is actually performed in folk clubs. The music performed in two clubs in the East Midlands was recorded and categorised by authorship and date of composition. A total of 1568 identifiable song performances were listed across a few years before and after the Covid-19 Pandemic. The analysis showed a very wide range of sources, dates, and kinds of music, with a very strong representation of post-World War 2 compositions, and self-written songs. Repertoire connected with 20th and 21st-century popular culture, sits alongside more ‘traditional’ material. Drawing on the repertoire analysis, the author suggests a few themes for what makes a song fit into the folk club format. He concludes that folk club music could be best understood as a form of vernacular culture based in conviviality, rather than conventional ideas of canonical “folk” or “traditional” music repertoires.