Roots fans take note of the Grateful Fred night on the 7th April. I’m not telling you because I’m playing it (I’m not) but it’s quickly getting a great reputation.

On Thursday 7th April they have the excellent Carrie Elkin from Austin Texas accompanied by guitarist/vocalist Paul Cataldo.

Support is from the exciting local singer/songwriter Steph Fraser and The Gratefulfred Houseband.

Tickets are just £5.00 from the www.gratefulfred.co.uk website and doors open at 7.45pm.

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?

No. But I have bought a harpoon so I can skewer the next person to ask me that.

I have decided to cancel Christmas.

“Oh come on Al, it’s just one day.”

But it’s not is it. It’s months worth of plastic happiness all aimed at this one day of misery and pressure dressed up as goodwill and joy, all of it phoney.

It’s stress, fear, panic and anxiety. After all, what can be worse than ruining Christmas!!

Must we all do the internecine warfare in the supermarkets again, stocking up on EVERYTHING as if there’d just been a declaration that all food production was ceasing for the next nine years.

Must we have the annual scrap with each other for the latest toy craze that everyone is going nuts about and so if you don’t buy it for your own little mound of genetic offspring then you’re a parent so heartless and incompetent that your children should just divorce you and hope Madonna takes an interest.

Must we all go massively into debt for sack loads of shite that we don’t really want to buy but feel we have to because the insidious rules of Christmas state that we have to buy everybody something, and it has to be roughly the same price as the piece of tat that everyone else buys you.

Well I’m not doing it. So shove off.

Don’t buy me anything.

And I won’t buy you anything.

Deal?

We can all just enjoy the fact that most of us don’t have to go to work that day. We can be free of the eggshell walking tension that comes with the fear of “ruining Christmas”, breathing a grateful sigh of relief when midnight comes that we somehow got through it without incident.

Christmas costs the average person around £500 per year in gifts. No not per family – per person!

Why? Because we can afford it? Because we would otherwise choose to just splurge £500 each on shite for ourselves?

Yes, don’t kid yourself. It’s spending on yourself. It’s not giving. There’s expectancy built in so don’t start with all this wonder of giving malarkey.

It’s you buy me something for £20, I buy you something for £20. That’s the unspoken deal.

Cut the smoke and mirrors and I’ve just bought myself something for £20.

Except someone else has chosen what I spent my £20 on, so it’s probably shit and so now I’ll have to stick it on Ebay in the desperate hope that I can at least get some of my £20 back.

Well stop it. Join me instead in ignoring Christmas.

You can be a proud misery guts like me if you want. Or if you can’t pull that off, just briefly convert to the Jehovah’s Witnesses and then convert back on Boxing Day.

The football season starts again tomorrow, with AFC Liverpool kicking off away to Rochdale, before a home game on 15th August against Ashton Town. Everyone is looking forward to the new season.

I start the season with a new role at the club, albeit an honorary one. At the club’s AGM last month, the supporters unanimously made me Life President of AFC Liverpool.

You’ll remember I founded the club last year. Many of you wondered why I wasn’t gigging much at the time but all my efforts were poured into the creation of AFC Liverpool.

A big thanks to the fans of AFC Liverpool for the gesture. I’m proud to be Life President of a club where the fans own and run it. Socialism in action!!

We had a cracking first season, winning the cup (see picture), and I’m sure you remember the official cup song I recorded with Ste Reid of The Mono LPs and drummer Brett Lashua. If not hear the song along with Louis Dowling’s fab video below.

We’ve also already had our very first player graduate into the Football League. Phil Ojapah has moved on from AFC Liverpool to sign for Oldham Athletic. There are clubs who have been in existence for decades who have never had a player go professional, yet we did it within 12 months.

Well done to Phil, and to Derek Goulding our manager.

If you want to watch us play, then its just a fiver (or £2 for u18s) and our home games are at Prescot Cables home ground.

Forthcoming fixtures (3pm kick off):
8 Aug, Away to Rochdale Town, Mayfield Sports Centre, Rochdale, OL11 3AG
15 Aug, Home to Ashton Town, Valerie Park, Hope St, Prescot, L34 6ND

I’ll be featured on BBC Radio Merseyside’s Folkscene programme tonight (Thu) at 9pm.

The programme is repeated on Tuesdays at 9pm.

You can tune in with your radio at 95.8FM

Or you can listen live by visiting the BBC Radio Merseyside Listen Live section of their website

Or if you miss the show, you can use the Listen Again feature to hear the programme.

I’ll be discussing the Roy Bailey gig, the Billy Bragg gig, the Hillsborough Anniversary song, the Working Class Music Festival, my forthcoming album, and my music.

Hope you enjoy it.

I was proud to be at AFC Liverpool last night, the non league football club I founded last year.

It was AFC Liverpool’s time to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the  Hillsborough Disaster and it was a very dignified and appropriate affair.

It is fair to say that AFC Liverpool have led the way on this issue.

The non league club have foregone sponsorship this year, and instead have a tribute to the 96 on the front of their shirts instead of a sponsors name.

This was the brainchild of AFC Liverpool supporter Tommy Hurst, who was himself at Hillsborough aged just 15, and who lost two friends in the disaster.

Tommy has been spearheading calls for Liverpool Football Club to follow AFC Liverpool’s lead.

He has managed to get 30,000 supporters signed up to a Facebook group calling for Liverpool Football Club to put a similar tribute on their shirts for just one game – the match against Blackburn Rovers.

The plea has fallen on unresponsive ears at LFC which is very disappointing.

But back to last night.

Representatives from the three Hillsborough groups were present to receive framed AFC Liverpool shirts bearing the tribute to the 96.

AFC Liverpool Chairman Paul McCombs gave a superb address to the crowd from the centre circle.

It must have been difficult in such emotional circumstances but he represented our small club wonderfully, and set a very fitting tone to the proceedings.

A two minute silence followed which was perfectly observed, as flags honouring the 96 were displayed at the ground.

It was nice to see representatives from our landlords Prescot Cables at the Safari End holding up a Cables banner to show their solidarity. Such gestures are deeply appreciated.

Then once the referee’s whistle signalled the start of the game, the AFC Liverpool supporters chanted "Justice for the 96" for six minutes without pause or interruption.

To top it all, Derek Goulding’s men delivered a fine display, beating Norton United 3-0 with goals from Olsen, Coyne and Eaton.

A big thank you to all at AFC Liverpool.

For more information about AFC Liverpool visit http:///www.afcliverpool.org.uk