Rick Astley has announced he’s releasing a new album later this year, and he’s heading out on a huge arena tour of the UK to celebrate.
It may have been 36 years since the iconic singer-songwriter first shot to fame with his massively-popular 1987 hit song ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ – but Rick Astley is arguably a more prominent force in popular culture now than he ever has been before.
Over the past couple of years, it seems the 57-year-old has been amassing new fans left, right, and centre, all thanks to on-stage performances with the likes of US rockers Foo Fighters, Take That or Blossoms, and claiming the strongest run of album chart positions of his entire career.
After having become an unlikely social media sensation since the turn of the 21st century, Rick says he’s been “simply embracing the unending love” from all his enthusiastic supporters.
Image: Rick Astley (via Facebook)
And now, the popstar is ready to make his fans’ days after announcing a new album and UK tour.
Rick’s long-awaited ninth studio album, titled Are We There Yet?, is set to be released out into the world on 6 October 2023, and to give people a taste of what’s to come, the first single off that album, ‘Dippin My Feet’, is out today.
But the new album isn’t all that fans of the Lancashire legend have to look forward to, as Rick says “the road ahead remains open for further exploration”, and so has today revealed details of a major UK headline tour starting later this year and drawing to a close in early 2024.
Rick Astley – UK Tour Dates 2023/24
2023
Wednesday 1 November – Royal Albert Hall (London)
Thursday 02 November – Royal Albert Hall (London)
2024
Thursday 22 February – Motorpoint Arena (Nottingham)
Friday 23 February – Utilita Arena (Newcastle)
Saturday 24 February – First Direct Arena (Leeds)
Monday 26 February – Cardiff International Arena
Tuesday 27 February – OVO Hydro (Glasgow)
Thursday 29 February – Bournemouth International Centre
Friday 1 March – Birmingham Resorts World Arena
Saturday 2 March – AO Arena (Manchester)
Two prestigious dates at London’s Royal Albert Hall will kick-off Rick’s UK tour this November, followed by a series of massive arena dates nationwide.
Speaking ahead of the release of his new album, Rick said: “The phrase ‘Are We There Yet?’ has multiple meanings. Are we there yet in my musical ambitions? Am I done with my career? Have we arrived? Or are we still travelling?”
He admits the new album and accompanying singles are Americana-influenced.
Image: Supplied
“It’s definitely not country, but I’ve never twanged a guitar as much as I have in the past couple of months,” Rick continued.
“And there’s a bit more emotion with those guitar parts. I just think spending five months in America has retuned my ear a little bit.”
Rick Astley’s ninth studio album ‘Are We There Yet?’ is now available to pre-order here.
Fans who pre-order before 7pm today (20 June), will receive access to a pre-sale for tour tickets – which opens at 9:30am tomorrow (21 June) and will remain live until remaining tickets go on general sale from 9:30am this Friday (23 June).
You can buy tickets to Rick Astley's gig at The First Direct Arena on Saturday 24 February 2024 here.
Leeds breadwinners English Teacher are embarking on a UK tour with a date set for their hometown.
It has been quite a whirlwind experience for this four-piece Leeds based band recently and now they’re taking their hits on the road to play across the UK.
In September last year, they bagged the Mercury Prize for their landmark debut album ‘This Could Be Texas’, beating the likes of ‘Brat’ by Charli XCX and ‘early twenties’ by Cat Burns.
They kicked off 2025 with a bang too getting a spot on BBC Radio 1’s Sounds of 2025 list ranking at number 5 and performing a rendition of their track ‘Nearly Daffodils’.
The indie rockers have also managed to use their northern charm enough to bag a support act slot for Franz Ferdinand joining them for a one off gig in Glasgow this August.
And finally, the band are nominated for ‘Best Newcomers’ at the BRIT Awards 2025, they’re quite literally making history.
Now English Teacher have made their impact on music critics, they’re set to impress an even tougher crowd, the UK public, who have already grown fond of them.
This won’t be their first time educating a Leeds audience either as the band were billed on the Live at Leeds 2021 lineup with a slot at Brudenell Social Club.
English Teacher’s 2025 UK tour sees them travelling all around the country with stops at Nottingham, London, Newcastle and obviously Leeds.
Set to play songs from their ubiquitous LP, expect to hear favourites such as ‘R&B’, ‘This Could Be Texas’ and of course ‘The World’s Biggest Paving Slab’.
If the Leeds date isn’t you still have another chance to catch them as they’re playing just over the hill in Manchester two days earlier.
English Teacher are coming to O2 Academy in Leeds on 22 November with pre-sale tickets live on 26 February and general on sale 28 February both at 10am HERE.
Featured Image: Publicity Picture via Denmarc Creary
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Sam Fender to play massive outdoor gig in Manchester this summer
Emily Sergeant
Sam Fender is set to play a massive outdoor gig at Wythenshawe Park this summer following the release of his next album.
The North Shields singer-songwriter has undeniably made a name for himself since bursting into the mainstream back in 2019 with the success of his debut album , followed the even more-successful release of his second, and so-called ‘coming of age’ record, Seventeen Going Under, in 2021, as well as several memorable festival headline slots and appearances, and arena and stadium shows.
Only recently, Fender blew the roof off Leeds' First Direct Arena, playing to thousands of adoring fans and cementing his place as one of the greatest live acts of the moment.
But now, with his forthcoming third studio album, People Watching, merely days away from release on 21 February, it’s been announced that he’ll headline Wythenshawe Park this summer.
Sam Fender 02 Academy Leeds;UK 28th November 2019Sam Fender will be playing a massive outdoor gig at Wythenshawe Park this summer / Credit: Wikimedia Commons | Live From Wythenshawe Park (via Facebook)
The 30-year-old indie rocker and his band will take to the stage at what is one of Manchester's most increasingly-popular outdoor venues in August.
Fender fans will get to sing along to the band’s most well-known hits, from title tracks ‘Hypersonic Missiles’ and ‘Seventeen Going Under’, to everything in between, as well as here the tracks from the upcoming People Watching album – which is being billed as “a collection of colourful stories and observations of everyday characters living their everyday, but often extraordinary, lives”.
Sam is currently gearing up for a sold-out tour of Europe in March, ahead of a US tour in the spring, and then a trio of sold-out shows at his boyhood football club’s stadium, Newcastle’s St James’ Park, as well as his biggest headline show to date at the London Stadium.
Support at Wythenshawe Park will come from acclaimed neo soul singer, Olivia Dean – with further supports to be announced soon, so keep your eyes peeled.
Sam Fender will play Wythenshawe Park on Saturday 16 August 2025.
Keen to get yourself some tickets then? Fans are advised to register or pre-order the album for the opportunity to get their hands on pre-sale tickets, with the registration period for this open now until Monday 17 February at 10am.
The pre-sale itself starts on Tuesday 18 February at 11am and concludes the following day on (Wednesday 19 February) at 10am.
All remaining tickets will then go on general sale on Friday 21 February at 10am, the same as the album release date.
Clementine Hall -
20th June 2023 
