Archive for February, 2012
Rick is included in an 80s line-up set to perform as the Henley Rewind Festival on 18th August. Also on the bill on the Saturday are The Bangles, Grandmaster Flash, Kool & The Gang, Soul II Soul, Five Star, Starship, Heather Small, Jimmy Somerville, Sinitta, Right Said Fred, and Doctor & The Medics.
Rick’s band, The Luddites will be playing a set at The Grey Horse in Kingston on May 17th.
Taken from The Grey Horse website:
80′s pop idol Rick Astley, winner of “Best Act Ever” at the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2008, will be appearing with his new band The Luddites and performing a range of numbers from bands as varied as The Kings of Leon, Arctic Monkeys, T Rex, The Killers, Greenday as well as his classic award-winning hit Never Gonna Give You Up.
‘Imagine a parallel universe in which 80’s crooner Rick Astley plays drums in a 3 piece rock band.Now you can experience this universe for yourself, as The Luddites, Rick’s ‘weekend hobby band’ bring their ‘ramshackle jukebox favourites’ to The Grey Horse. The Luddites play ‘a lively selection of garage-rock cover versions’. Rick and his two middle aged chums rock till they drop, which actually takes longer than you’d think. A fabulous night of completely unexpected fun and rock played by three talented musicians one of whom just happens to be able to sing like Luther Vandross, drum like Dave Grohl and axe like Justin Hawkins (ok maybe not but you know what I mean). Rick Rolling? Wait till you see Rick Rocking.
Rick features in the Here & Now line-up when the tour visits Lytham St Annes on 3rd August. Tickets go on sale tomorrow[Feb 9] at 9am and are priced from £24.50 for one week only, saving £5 off the normal price of £29.50.
They are available at www.lythamproms.co.uk or by calling 0844 888 9991, with lines open Mon–Fri 8.30am to 9pm and Sat and Sun 9am to 9pm.
Taken from Lytham St Annes Express:
A GLITTERING selection of iconic 1980s pop stars will headline the opening night of this summer’s Lytham Proms Festival Weekend.
It’s time to dust off the leg warmers, grab the shoulder pads and start rocking that perm as Rick Astley, Bananarama, The Real Thing, Belinda Carlisle, Toyah, Curiosity Killed the Cat and T’Pau come to town.
The show, on Friday, August 3, is entitled ‘Here and Now, The Very Best of the 80s’ and is being billed as the Fylde Coast’s biggest party ever.
It promises three hours of non-stop memorable super sounds as it features the stars performing back to back hits, accompanied by a live band.
A spokesperson for St Annes-based event organisers Cuffe and Taylor said: “The line-up is terrific and it promises to be a night of fun and dancing.
“The Friday night of the Proms is traditionally our Heritage night, so this fits in perfectly.
“We hope the audience come along in great spirits, ready to dance and sing the night away while sipping a cocktail or even glass of something fizzy from the event bars.”
The 80s stars coming to Lytham figured prominently in the pop charts during that decade.
Rick Astley, renowned as the office boy for producers Stock Aitken and Waterman who made good, followed a debut chart-topper with Never Gonna Give You Up by chalking up seven more top 10 hits.
American Belinda Carlisle hit No 1 with her solo debut Heaven Is A Place on Earth in 1987 and went on to enjoy five more top 10 successes up to the mid-1990s.
T’Pau, led by Carol Decker, produced one of the iconic chart-toppers of the decade with China In Your Hand, while the Real Thing’s first two hits reached No 1 and No 2 respectively in the mid-70s and again made the top 10 on re-release a decade later.
Bananarama, a trio back in the 80s and now a duo, had 10 top 10 hits between 1982 and 1989, while Toyah and Cuiosity Killed the Cat each enjoyed three top 10 successes.
