The Electric Folk Scene

Abstract

Abstract This sociocultural analysis depicts the electric folk scene as a coherent, yet heterogeneous entity, shaped by continuous line-up changes. As the musical hybridity is also reflected in the performance spaces, this chapter first analyses the folk club and the emerging progressive rock scenes in London of the 1960s. While having developed from the Second Folk Revival, electric folk was nevertheless facilitated by the venues of the progressive scene, including university auditories, festivals, radio DJs like John Peel, and independent record companies, although business always remained a difficult issue. The second part analyses internal characteristics such as the performer network, authority figures like Ewan MacColl and A. L. Lloyd, and the strikingly large number of female artists. The outlook into the 1990s reveals a consolidated scene characterized by distinct venues, festivals, key figures, and repertoires, whose continuous existence is also supported by independent low-key business and marketing strategies.