Guest blog'Football has always been a family affair for us - it brings us together'

Even now, at 23, I can’t help a little shout of ‘Gerrard’ whenever I’m kicking a ball up and down the garden with my brothers.

Football has always been a family affair for us. My dad’s side of the family is from Liverpool, and we have a long history of supporting the club through its highs and lows. I’ve always been told stories about Lings Chippy in Toxteth, which belonged to my great-grandparents and my great-uncle Kenny, home to an L8 icon, ‘Kenny Lings Fish Toast’.

Some name dropping within the family has revealed that Robbie Fowler’s mum once worked there too. We all consider it a bit of an honour that ‘God’ has any affiliation to our family. There are endless stories like this related to the area and the football club. Dad went to his first game on Boxing Day of 1981 and was instantly hooked. The city, and football club, have always been a means of bringing us together and it has manifested into some special memories over the years.

Watching Liverpool and playing open mic nights when I was younger culminated in a lot of time spent in the pub. One of my earliest Liverpool memories is being in a pub with my dad and brother in 2009 and watching us play Manchester United at Old Trafford. I must’ve been seven or eight.

I remember being surrounded by United fans when Ronaldo scored the penalty to make it 1-0. My brother and I got a lot of stick from mates. Minutes later, Fernando Torres skinned Nemanja Vidic and stuck it in the far corner, which was followed up by a vintage Liverpool performance and capped by the most random little dink from Andrea Dossena.

Winning that game 4-1 is one of my earliest Liverpool memories. I can’t count the number of times we watched that match on the 2008-09 season review DVD, along with the 4-0 against Real Madrid and 5-0 against Aston Villa in that same week. I used to rewatch that run of games constantly in my grey away kit.

More recently, I was at Wembley when Klopp’s kids saw off Chelsea in extra-time. We’d taken a bit of stick walking past the Chelsea end before the game, so watching those lads from the Academy lift a trophy at full-time felt that bit sweeter.

I’ve never experienced anything quite like the moment big Virg powered in the winner - Allez Allez Allez had been echoing around the ground for five minutes straight, and it felt like the Kopites were dragging the ball into the net themselves. When the Liverpool crowd are up for it and with the lads, it honestly feels like anything is possible.

My infatuation with this club and my love for music are similar in a lot of ways and have run side by side for much of my life. Neither are really a conscious decision, they’re just parts of my life, and things I’m passionate about. I’m very lucky that I’m able to make music, which is probably the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do more than play for Liverpool Football Club. Although I’m not sure that was ever on the cards based on my footballing ability. Both music and football were really important parts of getting through my teenage years during COVID-19.

It was in my teenage bedroom that I taught myself how to produce music during lockdown and two doors away was the lounge where I sat and watched Liverpool on the weekend as we won the title in 2020. Without those two things, I reckon lockdown at home would’ve been a lot bleaker.

This year - 2025 - has already been a special year for me. I released my debut projects as an artist and played my first live shows in years. At the same time, I watched the lads lift our 20th league title. It’s safe to say that when Liverpool are playing well, everything else feels just that little bit better. Non-football fans might think we’re mad for this, but Liverpool doing well can change the mood of my whole week. I like to think I’m a level-headed guy most of the time, but nothing gives me the emotional highs and lows like this football club.

The club’s resilience has been tested so many times over the years, and it was once again tested this summer with the tragic passing of Diogo Jota. Seeing the tributes from fans and players was really touching and the way the club has reacted has just reiterated how special it is.

I’ve got some exciting things in the works from a music perspective too. My newest single out of my mind is out now, along with a music video. I played a live show in London last month and I’ve got another in early December, I’d love to see a few Liverpool shirts there.

• Listen to latest release out of my mind and explore woody here