Rick Astley has spoken to NME about what to expect from his debut Glastonbury performance this weekend, as well as the rumours that Foo Fighters will be performing a secret set.
Thousands of fans were present for festival organiser Emily Eavis opening the gates at Worthy Farm this morning (Wednesday June 21) with this year’s line-up including headline performances from the likes of Guns N’ Roses, Elton John, and Arctic Monkeys, alongside the likes of Lizzo, Lana Del Rey, Måneskin, Fred Again.. and Cat Stevens, Manic Street Preachers, Wizkid, Lil Nas X, Chvrches and The War On Drugs and more.
Astley meanwhile, will be opening Saturday’s Pyramid Stage performances with an early set at 12pm – an honour that makes him feel “quite nervous”, as he told NME.
“I think anyone who’s never played it before would have to say that,” said the pop veteran. “I’m so looking forward to it. We were supposed to do it a few years back and then COVID came. I thought, ‘That won’t come around again – it’ll be one of those gigs that just slips away and we’ll never get back’. Then we got the call and it’s super exciting.
“It’s a rite of passage to play Glastonbury at any level, but I’m on the bleeding Pyramid Stage! That’s insane, to be honest. ‘Go and open up on the Saturday, then the headliner is Guns ‘N’ Roses’. It’s 10 hours later, but still. You’d have to be made of stone to not be nervous for that.”
He continued: “12 o’clock seems really early for me for a festival, but I’ve spoken to various friends from different bands who have done different slots on the Pyramid, and they’ve said it’s just one of those things – you might get a really good crowd, you might not.
Offering that he and his band would be performing “a very different set”, he said that said that he “just wants to play the bangers”.
“Rightfully so!” he continued. “I would get lynched if I didn’t play ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’. It’s part of my DNA and who I am. I can say it, because I didn’t write – but there’s no way of getting away from that song. It’s part of the wallpaper. I never play it with a grimace, because those songs are the only reason I even get a hint of playing Glastonbury. I’m not daft enough to fool myself into thinking otherwise. I relish those songs. They’re my suit of armour.”
As well as some new material from his recently-announced album ‘Are We There Yet?’, Astley also promised a surprise cover as part of his set.
“I like doing covers. It’s really weird,” he said. “We played Latitude a few years back, we were on the big stage, and the night before when our bus rolled in we couldn’t get to sleep because Chemical Brothers had just started. We just wondered around and ended up doing an hour-long set of covers in a little forest stage that they let us know. We’d had a couple of beers so we said, ‘Let’s just ease into the weekend’.
“You obviously can’t do a covers set on the Pyramid Stage of Glastonbury, but I just really like doing it. It reminds me of being 15, getting into a band at school, and doing covers of The Police. I used to play drums back then and I still love that as well. I don’t want it to overcome me, but Glastonbury feels so big that no matter what you play, you could get it wrong.”
While he’s not expecting any guests on stage during his own set, there are some rumours of Foo Fighters appearing. When the full line-up with stage times were revealed last month, much speculation arose around an unknown band called The Churnups appearing on the bill at 6.15pm on the Friday of the festival, playing on the Pyramid Stage before Royal Blood.
The most common theories are that it will be Foo Fighters, or returning Britpop veterans Pulp. The rumour mill then seemed to spin in favour of Foos, after Dave Grohl teased fans with a message that mentioned “churning up” emotions.
Having previous joined Dave Grohl on stage at Club NME – before a duet with Foo Fighters at Reading Festival – does Astley know if there’s any truth to the Glasto rumours?
“I think everyone has heard those rumours. I haven’t had a text from Dave if that’s what you’re asking,” he replied. “I don’t know. I went to the Taylor Hawkins tribute gig at Wembley and I’m just really happy for them that they can go out and play live again. In a lot of people’s minds, it was unknown if they would. It’s a wonderful thing. If they did turn up at Glastonbury and there was a roof, then I’m sure they’d take the roof off.
“I would never profess to being mates with Foo Fighters, but they’re always really lovely when we bump into each other. They’re super solid and real people.”
If he has any time to see other acts across the weekend, Astley said that he was excited about two headliners in particular.
“I’d really like to see Arctic Monkeys, but I’d rather have seen them in a club 12 years ago,” he said. “Not to take away from what they’ve been doing with stadiums because they’re amazing. For my sins, I’ve got a midlife crisis rock band with two fellows who are my age and ‘I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor’ is one of the songs that we used to absolutely murder. I remember that song coming out and thinking, ‘This is a moment, something has just changed’.
“They just had something about them. The fact that he sings like he’s from Yorkshire is really important. Like with The Smiths, there’s a true Britishness to what they do.”
Astley continued: “I’m going to see Elton, for sure. That’s going to be emotional. We’ve known his guitar player for 30 odd years and our kids have known each other since they were born. Elton is Sir Elton John for God’s sake, but for all his players, the people around him, it’ll be super emotional and there will be tears. Certainly for me because I cry at cat videos now.
“I saw Elton’s last London show a few weeks ago and he’s singing better than he’s sung in years. You see someone with a catalogue of songs like that and you think, ‘How did he do that?’”
And when it comes to opening the Pyramid Stage on Saturday, does he expect it being one of those classic ‘Glasto moments’ in the vein of Dolly Parton and Lionel Richie?
“You can’t even dream of that,” he replied. “You just have to go and try enjoy it, otherwise it’s the road to ruin. I’ve got a new suit, say no more, and I’m just going to enjoy it for what it is. I couldn’t do the legends slot because I don’t have the tunes. I retired after four years.
“It’s been wonderful to play new tunes over the last five or six years and have the audience at my own shows enjoy it, but the audience at Glastonbury? They’re not going to know any of that lot. I’m still going to play a couple though, because that’s who I am now.”
Rick Astley’s new album ‘Are We There Yet?’ will be released on October 6, before two dates at London’s Royal Albert Hall in November and a full UK headline arena tour kicking off in February 2024. Visit here for tickets and more information.
With the main music line-up kicking off on Friday, this year’s edition sees the iconic event make its return to Worthy Farm, and will feature headline performances from the likes of Guns N’ Roses, Elton John, and Arctic Monkeys, alongside the likes of Lizzo, Lana Del Rey, Måneskin, Fred Again.. and Cat Stevens, Manic Street Preachers, Wizkid, Lil Nas X, Chvrches and The War On Drugs and more.
Check back at NME here for the latest news, reviews, interviews, photos and more from Glastonbury 2022.
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