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Rick Astley is amongst a fantastic line-up of performers confirmed for the Rewind Festival in South Africa. The first South African Rewind Festival will take place on February 25th 2012 at the Kings Park Stadium, Durban.
This weeks theme on X Factor was the performers’ guilty pleasures and musical heroes and after the show, judge Gary Barlow revealed his guilty pleasure.
That Take That star revealed later on Xtra Factor that he loves nothing better than to sing along to Rick’s hit Never Gonna Give You Up and to Gary’s delight and surprise, Rick made an appearance via Skype to say a few things about the show.
Rick joked: ‘Giving Gary pleasure is what I live for!’ before adding that being the judge’s Guilty Pleasure was ‘quite and honour.’ He also said that all five acts had performed really great with their double performances and singled out Marcus Collin’s performance of the Stevie Wonder song Lately as the performance of the night.
Rick then turned judge himself mentioning that he thought that many of the song choices were ‘no perfect’ and went on to back Amelia Lily to win the contest.
O’CHI BROWN – O’CHI (DELUXE EDITION)
Cherry Pop CRPOPD 93
2CD set released 28th November 2011
O’chi Brown’s classic album “O’chi”, possibly the most sought-after of all Stock Aitken Waterman/PWL-produced CDs, is given a long-awaited Deluxe Edition reissue on Cherry Pop, exactly 25 years after its original 1986 release.
“O’chi” features the classic 1985 single, “Whenever You Need Somebody”, a US Billboard dance chart #1 for O’chi and a #3 hit in the UK when covered by Rick Astley two years later. A duet with Rick, “Learning To Live (Without Your Love)”, also features – one of three further UK singles together with the #23 US club hit “100% Pure Pain” and “Two Hearts Beating As One”.
November 14th will see the release of a really exciting Double CD from remixer and producer, Phil Harding. Titled ‘Phil Harding Club Mixes of the 80s’, this long awaited package contains a whole host of PWL mixes and rarities including 4 previously unreleased tracks of Rick Astley! Both PWL fans and Rick fans alike are ecstatic at finally being able to hear Rick’s ‘Stay With Me Tonight’ and ‘Til The Day That I Die’, two tracks we never believed would see the light of day! We’ve also got a previously unheard mix of ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ and ‘She Wants To Dance With Me’, as well as all the other PWL gems in between.
Sonderborg, Greve and Arhus 13th to 15th October. Could these have been Rick’s best concerts ever?
The Danish seem to have a warm place in their hearts for Rick Astley. Maybe this is in some part due to Lene his wife being a Dane but it is also well noted by the Danish people, the effort Rick makes to speak their language both on and off stage. Perhaps then, it is little surprise that Denmark keeps inviting Rick back to play gigs. This 3 city mini-tour his second visit to Denmark on official business in just six months!
The tour visited Sonderborg and Greve before finishing up in Arhus which was the one gig I was lucky enough to attend. The venue was a nightclub called Train, well known for attracting live performers. For me it had an edge over many of the venues I’ve seen Rick perform in over the years. If you went to The Spirit in Dublin in 2004, then the setting was very similar. I went behind the scenes very briefly and found Rick self-medicating against a nasty cold. Despite being a singer’s dread, he seemed totally unfazed by it. Perhaps he was being powered by adrenaline from the two successful concerts already under his belt?
“Ladies and Gentleman” said a deep and familiar voice. “May I present some guy from near Manchester, for your pleasure tonight, his name is… Dick Spatsley!”
Rick opened his set with Together Forever which immediately energized the audience. He commented on how great it was to see everyone so lively and put in a request to the bar “Can me and the band have a round of whatever this lot of been drinking?” Turning to the audience, he asks “Is it Gammel Dansk?” Gammel Dansk is a strong bitter liquer similar to Jaegermeiser, so I’m told. Literally translated it means ‘Old Danish’ and is traditionally drunk by the Danes on festive occasions. He then leaves the stage, reappearing behind the bar before returning with a shot of something strong. Train didn’t have any Gammel Dansk so they found a worthy substitute. The shot was downed and the set continued.
The next song was She Wants To Dance With Me which introduced us to the first of Simon Bates’ saxophone solos. Rick also amused us by bending down with his mic putting it to the lips of a good looking blonde girl who appeared to know all the words. To be fair, she didn’t do badly but much laughter was to be had when Rick said “You’re beautiful darling, but you can’t bloody sing!” Then it was over to the other side of the stage where Rick had spotted another girl with her iPhone. “Is that video? Can you put it on YouTube for my Mum?” We were in for another great night of Rick at the top of his game, completing the hatrick.
The fooling about and banter was complemented with flawless vocal performances. Next up was It Would Take A Strong, Strong Man which brought around a rapturous round of applause – the crowd recognizing how fine he’d nailed it.
“You may have noticed I’ve put my glasses on”, says Rick. “Two reasons for that. One is so I can check out the birds and the other so I can read the word to this next song. We don’t often do this one but we’ve done it the last couple of nights and it went down well so I’m hoping it goes down well tonight.” Rick breaks out into the Al Green classic Let’s Stay Together. Now if you’re in the camp that loves Rick singing standards and Motown classics, then this one is for you. It was totally stunning and my trip from London to Denmark has been more than justified just 4 songs in!
This performance of When I Fall In Love is slightly different from the one I am used to. There was a change in tempo and arrangement, putting more emphasis on Rick’s voice. This song may have closed Rick’s debut album Whenever You Need Somebody but tonight’s show is to go on. What I love about tonight, is the energy the audience are giving Rick. He is the most relaxed I’ve ever seen him. He upped the tempo with The Ones You Love taking the dangerous option of changing the way he sings some lines on the record. No he wasn’t playing safe, he was going for the high notes and nailing them, adding value and then a bit more. Rick played Take Me To Your Heart followed by Hold Me In Your Arms. He asks for some audience participation from the fellas who oblige. “This time like you are at the football!”. I’ve never heard the men at a Rick concert sing so loudly! He thanks them for taking part and invites the girls to sing. “You’re all so beautiful. I wish I could get you all in the Jacuzzi back at the hotel room!”
Rick ordered a round of beers for the band and played Don’t Say Goodbye, one of my favourite Stock Aitken Waterman songs from the first album. It was followed by one that didn’t appear on an album at all – Double AA side My Arms Keep Missing You. This is song is often a part of the set where Rick invites someone to the stage to sing along with him. Tonight followed the same format. Arhus representative didn’t so quite as well as Van from Texas, USA who had been Rick’s guest the night before.
Every concert has its magical moments and this one was about to enter a whole phase of magic! Starting with 2010’s Lights Out. To my surprise the Danes seemed to know it and those who didn’t seemed to love it. Vocally, it was amazing especially when Rick sang that line “Don’t you know, don’t you know” where he held a really long note. But the magic was to continue with a real treat. Up next was Cry For Help which as I’m sure you know, the record has a gospel choir who play a particularly prominent part after the instrumental on the record. Dawn, Rick’s backing singer was taken by the hand and brought to the centre of stage for this part. The music was taken down slightly to showcase her amazing voice. Rick then says “Oh we’re going to Jamaica” and the band starts playing in reggae style. This starts a totally improvised part of the set which included Rick singing lines from “I Need a Dollar”. Dawn complimented with “What a man what a man what a mighty good man” followed by Rick “Once Twice, she’s Three times a lady”. It was fabulous and totally loved by the crowd.
My favourite song from the night was an unexpected include to Rick’s set. My Girl. I’ve never seen him perform this one and oh my god, it was mesmerizing. It easy to go crazy about a song you haven’t heard before but this really was exceptional. I hope one day you get to see him sing this too. Rick took this and owned it!
In Aalborg during the summer, Ain’t Too Proud To Beg had been my pick of the night and again in Arhus, this song continues to showcase what Rick can do. Tonight though, this song doesn’t stand out so boldly, however the concert does. I pinched myself half way through the second verse and looked around at all the happy people. Is this Rick’s best concert ever? It might be you know.
A fan in the crowd offered Rick a beer which he leaned over and accepted. “Hey this doesn’t have Rohypnol in it does it? I’ve seen that film where they all go to Vegas… you know what I’m saying?”
I look down at my watch. Sadly I know the concert must be drawing to a close. I don’t want it to end. Rick picks my sadness up with another of the Stock Aitken Waterman classics. Whenever You Need Somebody always get people dancing or as Rick would say “giving some jiggle”.
The band follow Rick off stage but predictably the crowd demanded an encore. You can tell Rick was enjoying himself as he didn’t need as much persuading as usual! He took seat at the drumkit which some of us are getting familiar with having been to see him perform with The Luddites. It was a funny moment if you were quick enough to see that one of Rick’s drumsticks knocked his microphone into a spin but composure was regained in a blink of an eye. It was a shock to many to see him behind a drum kit. The crowd gave a big cheer of respect as Rick belted out Somebody Told Me by the Killers.
The final part of the concert was upon us and we knew it as soon as Rick began with “We’re no stangers to love, you know the rules…”. He sung the whole song acapella with the audience singing as loud as he was. And then, Never Gonna Give You Up was played all over again but in its usual style. For a few years now, Rick has often included Together Forever and Kylie’s I Should Be So Lucky with Never Gonna Give You Up. Tonight he included a load of songs completely improvised, including Ain’t No Stopping Us Now and Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.
Arhus had given Rick such a good night and he could see how much everyone was enjoying the improvised lines from songs. He asked the band to stop for a while and explained that he would be performing next week for Britain’s best comedian, Peter Kay. In the set, he would be doing a Manchester Medley did we wanna hear it? Well you don’t need me to tell you what happened next!
Included in the Medley was Wonderwall by Oasis, Back For Good by Take That, Dreadlock Holiday by 10cc, Holding Back The Years by Simply Red, The Air That I Breathe and He Ain’t Heavy by The Hollies, There Is A Light That Never Goes Out by The Smiths, Night Fever by The Bee Gees, Blue Monday by New Order, Can’t Get You Outta My Head by Kylie. It was the icing on the cake to a fabulous, fabulous concert. I now know the answer to the question I asked myself earlier.
Without a doubt, this is the best concert I’ve ever been to.
Were you in Denmark for any of these gigs? We’d love to hear your opinion.
Rick will once again be supporting Peter Kay on his Tour That Doesn’t Tour Tour. He will warm up the audience for the Manchester shows on 18th to 22nd October.
Rick flew out to Singapore last week for the much talked about Formula One Grand Prix. He was one of the many performers on the entertainment programme also including Shakira, Boy George, Linkin Park and Shaggy. Having travelled to Singapore in 2008 and 2010 to perform at Singfest, Rick tells us he’s always enjoyed himself when he’s visited and so decided to go a week early for some leisure time. “It’s been an amazing week so far. The Marina has been buzzing with excitement and I’m delighted to be here in the centre of it all.” Rick is a big fan of Formula One and was delighted to watch the qualifying from the Mercedes Petronas pit.
His first performance was on Saturday evening at the Esplanade Outdoor Theatre. Having serviced his voice on English Breakfast Tea, he opened his set with Together Forever before taking his audience down memory lane with his catalogue of hits including She Wants To Dance With Me and It Would Take A Strong Strong Man.
Every concert has it’s own special moments and this one delivered Formula One’s very own Eddie Jordan playing drums as Rick performed Never Gonna Give You Up. Thanks to a member of the audience, we can see a clip on YouTube.
Images courtesy of Formula One.
Formula 1 race organizers in Singapore have announced a billing of acts set to perform in different venues over the course of September’s Marina Bay round. Linkin Park, Glee star Charice, Grammy-winning reggae artist Shaggy, trip hop producers Massive Attack and 1980s legend Rick Astley grabbing the headlines.
From Formula 1 Offical website:
Headliners Linkin Park will perform songs from album A Thousand Suns on race day, September 25, on the Padang main stage. Massive Attack will wow the crowds with a DJ set on Friday night, whilst Glee starlet Charice will be in action on Friday and Saturday nights. Shaggy and Rick Astley will both perform on Saturday and Sunday.
As well as pop acts, race goers can watch two fully-fledged musicals – Bollywood Express and Forbidden Broadway as part of the off-track entertainment. They will also be able to take a surreal walk through the Milky Way courtesy of visual spectacle La Terra Al Centro Dell’universo, catch classical Baroque-era theatre at the Venetian Festival and enjoy Studio Festi’s acrobatic dance act Ocean Symphony.
Rick will be supporting Lulu and her band and other guests at the opening night of the three day event to be held in the Abbey Gardens, Bury St Edmunds.
Gates open at 17:00hrs on Friday 22nd July
Tickets Adult £33.50 Children under 14 – £10.00 Children under 5 – FREE
Box Office – Tel: 01603 508050 Email: www.ueaticketbookings.co.uk
Collect tickets in person (no booking fee): Balaam’s Music Shop, 103 Risbygate Street, Bury St Edmunds – Tel: 01284 766933
Ticket Terms and Conditions see www.abbeygardensfestival.co.uk
