Rick Astley Dates Announced

It was announced last month, and now it's official. For the first time in 23 years, Rick Astley will be rolling out the hits for Australian audiences. Tell me it won't be rad to hear 'Whenever You Need Somebody,' 'When I Fall In Love,' 'Cry For Help' and of course 'Never Gonna Give You Up' sung by the man himself?
 
For those who weren't there (and we're tipping that's a few of you), in 1987 Rick Astley was the biggest thing in pop music. Rick's first eight singles made the UK top 10 and 'Never Gonna Give You Up' hit number 1 in 25 countries.  Rick dominated the charts, selling over 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  single viewed by millions upon millions of people, reigniting public interest and a desire in the blue eyed soul singer to return to the stage.

'Never Gonna Give You Up' stayed at Number 1 in the UK for five weeks and was Britain’s largest selling single of that year. 'Whenever You Need Somebody' was the follow up single and hit Number 1 in seven countries.
 
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 ‘Rick-rolling’ saw him back in the mainstream. The 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 16 November - Twin Towns, Tweed Heads
Saturday 17 November - Ipswich Civic Hall, Ipswich
Sunday 18 November - Tivoli Brisbane, Brisbane
Wednesday 21 November - Canberra Theatre, Canberra
Saturday 23 November - Evan Theatre, Penrit
Saturday 24 November - Waves Nightclub, Wollongong
Sunday 25 November - Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Thursday 29 November - Kinross Woolshed, Albury
Friday 30 November - The Palace, Melbourne, Victoria
Saturday 1 December, Chelsea Heights Hotel, Melbourne