Do not adjust your internet – this is not a Rick Roll.
For the first time in 23 years Australian audiences have the chance to experience live all the songs that have made Rick Astley one of the world’s best known pop stars – including the hits Never Gonna Give You Up, Whenever You Need Somebody, When I Fall In Love, Together Forever, She Wants To Dance With Me and Cry For Help amongst many others.
In 1987 Rick Astley was the biggest and brightest thing happening in pop music. Teaming up with the production wonder team of Stock, Aitken and Waterman, Rick’s first 8 singles made the UK top 10 and his smash hit Never Gonna Give You Up was number 1 in 25 countries across the globe. The following years saw Rick continue to dominate the worlds charts eventually selling in excess of 40 million records before his premature retirement in 1993. Though he continued to write and record music throughout the 90’s and into the new millennium it was the power of the internet that brought Rick back into the global spotlight. The phenomenon of ‘Rickrolling’ saw his biggest ever single Never Gonna Give You Up viewed by millions upon millions of people reigniting public interest and a desire in the blue eyed soul singer to return to the stage.
Upon its release Never Gonna Give You Up shot to Number 1 in the UK and remained there for 5 weeks. It was Britain’s largest selling single of that year. Whenever You Need Somebody was the follow up single and this hit Number 1 in 7 countries. Including 4 Astley-penned songs, the album Whenever You Need Somebody entered the UK album charts at Number 1 and sold over 15.2 million copies worldwide, making him the top selling British act of the year. At the 1988 BPI Awards (the UK’s Grammy equivalent), Rick scooped Best Single Award for Never Gonna Give You Up. He performed the song in front of an estimated television audience of 100 million viewers!
Christmas 1987 was marked with a double AA single release. It featured a cover of Nat King Cole’s When I Fall In Love, and in the New Year it was flipped to My Arms Keep Missing You. Together Forever completed the released tracks from the album, peaking at number 2. It was a similar success story in the USA, as Rick became one of the few British artists to crack their market. Rick’s American success was reinforced with a second Number 1 single, Together Forever. It Would Take a Strong Strong Man became another Top 10 single and the album also reached a position within the Top 10 selling close to 2 million copies. It earned him a 1988 Grammy nomination as Best New Artist.
A fire in the PWL studios, destroying the majority of Rick’s new material delayed the release of his 2nd album. Hold Me In Your Arms finally surfaced in January 1989 it contained Rick’s first self-penned single She Wants To Dance With Me which he also co-produced. Reaching another Top 10 position, it was followed later in the year by Take Me To Your Heart and another song written by Rick, Hold Me In Your Arms. In December, Rick set off on a World tour. The UK, US, Canada, Australia and Japan were amongst the 15 countries visited and contained over 70 shows. Both concerts held at Wembley Arena were sell-outs.
Wanting to explore more avenues as a musician Rick parted ways amicably with Stock Aitken & Waterman and signed directly to RCA/BMG Worldwide, which allowed a greater degree of artistic control. Now under the management of Tops Henderson, his former road manager, Rick began co-writing material with the likes of Level 42′s Mark King and Climie Fisher’s Rob Fisher. Rick co-produced an album, aptly named “Free” which was released in 1991.
Rick’s next single Cry For Help featured contributions from Art of Noise’s Ann Dudley and gospel star Andrae Crouch who arranged the choir that featured on the track. The single silenced Rick’s critics becoming yet another Top 10 record that placed him in the Guinness Book of Records becoming the first male solo artist to have his first 8 singles reach the Top 10 in the UK, an achievement which has still to be beaten.
In 1993, Rick returned with the album Body & Soul. Rick scribed all of the tracks on this album himself, co-writing with artists such as Rob Fisher and Lisa Stansfield. There were two singles taken from Body & Soul, The Ones You Love and Hopelessly. At the same time Rick’s family was also flourishing with the birth of his daughter. Not wanting to compromise his family life, the album didn’t get the promotion it could have had. Despite this, the singles still charted but Rick felt it was time to ‘hang up his boots’ and retire from the business as a performer.
While continuing to write and record music throughout the 90’s and into the new millennium it was in 2008 that saw the internet phenomenon of ‘Rick-rolling’ come to mainstream news. The internet meme involved enticing someone to unwittingly click on a link to something else but instead were taken to Rick’s video of ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’. The prank became something of a craze with the story hitting major TV and paper news all around the world making ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ one of the most viewed videos on YouTube and Rick one of the world’s best known and loved pop stars as a result.
RICK ASTLEY 2012 AUSTRALIAN TOUR
Friday 16th November, Twin Towns, Tweed Heads, QLD
Tickets available from the venue: 1800 014 014
No pre sale. Tickets on sale July 9th
Saturday 17th November, Ipswich Civic Hall, Ipswich, QLD
Tickets available from the venue: 07 3810 6100
Pre sale 2nd of July. Tickets on sale July 9th
Sunday 18th November, Tivoli Brisbane, Brisbane, QLD
Tickets available from www.ticketek.com.au / 132 849
Pre sale 2nd of July. Tickets on sale July 9th
Wednesday 21st November, Canberra Theatre, Canberra ACT
Tickets available from Canberra Ticketing 6275 2700
Pre sale 2nd of July. Tickets on sale July 9th
Saturday 23rd November, Evan Theatre, Penrith, NSW
Tickets available from www.ticketek.com.au and the venue 1800 061 991
No pre sale. Tickets on sale July 9th
Saturday 24th November, Waves Nightclub, Wollongong, NSW
Tickets available from www.moshtix.com.au
Pre sale 2nd of July. Tickets on sale July 9th
Sunday 25th November Enmore Theatre, Sydney, NSW
Tickets available from www.ticketek.com.au / 132 849
Pre sale 2nd of July. Tickets on sale July 9th
Thursday 29th November, Kinross Woolshed, Albury, NSW
Tickets available from www.eventix.com.au / www.kinrosswoolshed.com.au
Tickets on sale June 15th
Friday 30th November, The Palace, Melbourne, Victoria
Tickets available from www.ticketmaster.com.au / 136 100
Pre sale 2nd of July. Tickets on sale July 9th
Saturday 1st December, Chelsea Heights Hotel, Melbourne, Victoria
Tickets available from www.ticketmaster.com.au / Chelsea Heights Hotel 132 100
Pre sale 2nd of July. Tickets on sale July 9th
