Andy Hodgson has become a household name to the vast majority of supporters, we decided to have a chat with the guy who got The Kop singing 'Lucho'
The 36-year-old was born and raised near Anfield and still lives in the area, and then of course it was only natural for him to become a Liverpool supporter. It also helped to have a keen father who took Andy and the brothers to matches from an early age. Andy's first memory of Anfield and the game was when he was too small to stand on The Kop himself, but was instead placed on the barricades that had been set up so he could watch the game.
He has many good memories from matches with Liverpool, but his best memory is from more recent times. That's when he and his brothers, together with father, made the trip to Madrid and the Champions League final. An unforgettable trip where the city was filled with thousands of red supporters and which was topped off with Liverpool lifting the CL trophy as Champions league champions!
Of course we had to check out which favorite players he has and has had throughout the ages? - When I was younger, it was Gary MacAllister who was the big player for me. Over the years there have been several players who have been close but never anyone who has been bigger for me than him. Of later players, Bobby Firmino is the favourite. A wonderful player who bled for the kit and was quite a complete player. A nice guy it was hard to dislike, and what a smile!
Lucho
Andy Hodgson has really "broken through" and become a favorite for many Liverpool supporters. After he stepped in for Jamie Webster as a substitute during the pre-match events at Taggys, things have only gone one way. Now he has a permanent place on the roof above the bar and plays in front of all home games. Not least "Lucho", his tribute to Luis Diaz, has paved the way for even more attention. It's already being sung at The Kop. What many do not know is that it was premiered together with The Ragamuffins during the Liverpool Festival 2023
When The Kop suddenly sings "Lucho" at the top of their lungs, one probably gets quite proud and moved, we think. We had to ask how Andy reacted? - To be completely honest, I couldn't feel anything when I heard it sung the first time, I was simply shocked and had to take some time to take it in. But in retrospect I have realized how big this is for me and I am of course very proud and moved that the song has found its way to the stands at Anfield.
- The lyrics were actually written by a friend of mine and he insisted that I had to play this for the supporters. I was a little unsure if I dared to do it, the drop is big when you have to play new songs for the supporters. But with a few adjustments to the text and a couple of rounds in front of the audience, I'd say it was pretty good. It was also played at the festival last year together with The Ragamuffins, and when we got back to Liverpool we went into the studio and recorded it. I'm glad that people like it and I was very happy and had a clue when Luis Dias himself called me to say that he liked the song very much!
Norwegian friend!
When Andy was at the Liverpool festival last year, it was almost 15 years since he had last been to Norway. Since the last festival, there have been several trips to Norway to play for the supporters. Among other things, he was in Oslo during the opening of Carls at Carl Berner and later in Bergen together with Liverbirds Bergen at the home pub Scruffy Murphys. Soon he will be back at the Liverpool Festival for the second year in a row, but first there will be a trip to Honningsvåg and Nordkapp Football Festival on 29 June!
It is of course no wonder that the guy keeps returning to Norway, but what does he think of the supporters he meets there? - It is always nice to meet Norwegian and Scandinavian supporters. They are so dedicated and I have to say I was quite surprised when I came to the festival last year and people knew who I was. It was pretty crazy having to sign suits, caps, scarves and other things. At the same time, it was fantastic to be able to hang out with several of my idols, such as Bruce Grobbelaar, Peter Beardsley and Sammy Lee. But the most wonderful thing is hanging out with the supporters.
They are so dedicated and I have to say I was quite surprised when I came to the festival last year and people knew who I was.
Norway is also a beautiful country, which is filled with nice people. I am really looking forward to coming over to the festival again and meeting familiar faces again, because I got to know many of the festival participants last year and I have also kept in touch with and met again both in Liverpool, Oslo and Bergen, and some meetings I will probably be back in Honningsvåg at the end of June.
Movie star
You have also become a movie star since last time and are the leading figure in a video "One of us" which is on Liverpool FC's YouTube channel. It's a bit fancy, isn't it? - Yes, I did not expect that, and it was both an honor and a great pleasure to be part of this video. I am a Liverpool supporter on my neck and that made the recording quite easy, I could be myself.
Make a living from the music
Andy has been a musician since he was 14 years old and for the past five years he has made a living from music. He plays at one or more venues in Liverpool almost every afternoon and evening throughout the week. Then he plays what people want and the list of cover songs that stick in his fingers is long. He plays several instruments but prefers to stick to the guitar. We wonder when the guy will play and release his own original songs? - To be completely honest, I don't know when it will happen, I have in a way put it off and put it off. I'm simply not sure if people will like my stuff since it's a bit far from what people are used to hearing from me. The songs I write are very personal, but I think there might be someone out there who will like it, maybe even a record company that will release it. I'm really most concerned about my music making people happy, and if people are a little happier because of what I play, then I've achieved what I want.
Which artists and musicians have inspired you the most? - Here I could list many, but the most important are probably Pink Floyd, The Eagles and The Beatles of course, you are almost obliged to that when you live in Liverpool. Others who have also been important are Queen, Ray Lamontagne, Dire Straits, Hans Zimmer, John Williams, Howard Shaw and Jeff Wayne. There were quite a few names, but I could probably mention more as well
What can we expect during Liverpool Festival 2024?
Andy plays on the main stage on both Friday and Saturday, in addition to being at Livergirs ONLY, a separate lunch for the girls at the festival. Here he is joined by Glenn Hysèn. We had to ask a bit about what we can expect from the Scouser during this year's festival? - I am really looking forward to playing at Livergirls ONLY, I did that last year and it was both inspiring and very enjoyable.
- This year I will be playing on the main stage for two evenings, but I also hope that we will get to do some of the spontaneous things that happened last year. When I went with the legends in addition to James Pearce for a sing-along, in the middle of the festival area, completely outside the program, and got most of the supporters too. I think things like this are fun, so we almost have to do that this year too. (See the video below)
- Since last year, I have also put a few more supporter songs in my belt, so there will be plenty of songs to play. Maybe there will be jamming with The Ragamuffins this year too. It was quite a nice end to the festival last year, when we got to play together. It was also something that wasn't really planned. I checked with Jaran if there was room for a little more music on stage after Boss Night finished, and there was. Then I asked David and the guys in Raga to tune the instruments and meet me on stage in 90 minutes. It worked so well that it became completely natural for me to continue working with the guys when I returned to Liverpool. If it hadn't been for the Liverpool festival, I wouldn't have gone into the studio with The Ragamuffins and recorded Lucho
Finally Andy, why should people go to the Liverpool Festival? - The obvious answer is that they should make the trip because they are Liverpool supporters. Then you can hang out with other supporters, feel the community, have a beer, enjoy good music and, not least, get to know the upcoming legends better. There was a fantastically good atmosphere last year and I'm sure it will be just as good this year!
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