#339: RICK ASTLEY - LIVE AT HMV MANCHESTER

80s Icon Rick Astley has just turned 50 and released a brand new album "50" to celebrate this milestone. "50" is his first album of all new material in 15 years, and in that time Astley has not done many live shows to the public. For fans of his, this intimate live performance at HMV Manchester would be a once in a lifetime experience!

Before Rick Astley even arrived, people around the store were feeling a little apprehensive, not knowing quite what to expect. Many will only know Rick Astley for his #1 mega hit "Never Gonna Give You Up" (which happened to be #1 on the day I was born). Some of the younger generation will also know him for the popular "Rick Rolling" internet meme from a few years ago, where people would be able to prank their mates by sending them an interesting YouTube video, only for it to revert into the music video for Rick Astley's mega hit after a few seconds! Because of the whole "Rick Rolling" phenomenon, I even found it difficult to actually convince people that Rick Astley was really performing at HMV today!

Even with expectations for the show being mixed, it didn't take very long for Rick Astley to convince people that he was for real. He came out with a 5 piece backing band all dressed in smart suits, consisting of a guitarist, bassist, vintage synthesiser player, live drummer and backing vocalist! From the very first song, Astley's deep Soulful vocals soared across HMV, holding notes effortlessly. If anything his voice has improved with age, and the sound he accomplished with his band was much more Soul and Funk driven, as opposed to the Synth Pop/New Romantic sound he was established with.

Rick Astley not only performed songs off his new album, but threw in a few old numbers. The first of these was his hit "When You Needed Somebody", which certainly got the *ahem* older people in the crowd clapping, dancing and singing along. New single "Keep Singing", Rick explained was about how even if life hands him lemons, he finds if he keeps on singing, everything will be okay... A gesture he has certainly proven this evening! Astley gleamed with so much positivity and sheer passion for his craft, which was reflected on the very enthusiastic crowd. Another new song "Pray With Me" was a Funky, uptempo number that had a real groovy bounce to it, showing that his backing band were really solid!

Rick Astley must have taken the whole "Rick Rolling" escapade with good humour, as the man was simply on fire tonight! Between and even during songs, he had the whole crowd in stitches of laughter, calling out his mate as a shoplifter! During his hit ballad "Cry For Help", backing vocalist Dawn sang her solo part so powerfully that it broke the microphone, so he jumped in and started singing soulfully "sorry about the broken microphone!" This song was particularly fantastic, not only showing how talented his band were, but he managed to convincingly capture a Gospel influenced sound. I think it sounded even better than the 1991 original did!

Of course no Rick Astley performance would be complete without a rendition of his mega hit "Never Gonna Give You Up". It's great to know the man doesn't take himself too seriously, introducing the song in a tongue in cheek manor. Some artists end up getting sick of playing their biggest hit song, but even at 50, he gave it welly. In particular the catchy synthesiser melody really shone, and Astley's vocals sounded absolutely flawless. The crowd went pretty crazy for this one, singing every word along and there were huge smiles on everyone's faces!

Most Pop artists who come to visit HMV, don't end up performing live. Perhaps it because it would be too hard to mime in such intimate venues! This evening Rick Astley proved that he was the real deal, with a stunning voice, a great backing band, and a lot of positivity, humour and passion to boot! He managed to turn the 80s cheese into a genuinely Funky Soul sound that worked wonders, with new and old songs sounding great. Even after a long hiatus, the man sounds like a born performer, and I expect his upcoming tour will be a spectacular one! Talking to the HMV staff afterwards, many were blown away by just how amazing he was, with some saying it was the best performance at HMV Manchester yet, and I would have to agree with them. No I am not Rick Rolling you, he really was that good!

June 10th 2016 @ HMV Manchester. Photography by Rich Smith of Digital Bath.