Rick Astley will perform a trio of festive dates as part of his ‘Swinging Christmas’ mini-tour. 

The Never Gonna Give You Up hitmaker will play shows in Liverpool and London as he returns to the UK stage following a tour of the US over the summer. 

“I love singing these old classics, can’t wait to see you there,” said Rick in an announcement. 

The full list of dates is as follows: 

DECEMBER 2022

13 – Philharmonic, Liverpool
15 – Royal Albert Hall, London
16 – Royal Albert Hall, London

Tickets are on sale now.

This year, Rick celebrated 35 years since the release of his debut album ‘Whenever You Need Somebody’ and, looking back on his time at The Hit Factory, he told the June 2022 issue of Retro Pop’s how working with Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman helped him flourish into the star we see today. 

Recalling signing on with Pete on a Youth Opportunities Programme, Rick recalled: “It worked out really well, because I got to do an apprenticeship. 

“I got to sit in, go and get the sandwiches, make the tea, reset the desk every morning, like all the other kids did,” he notes. “But I’m doing it for producers and engineers, and we’re making No. 1 records.

“I was dual. I was an artist one minute, and the next minute it was like, ‘Go and get the tea, Rick. Go and put the kettle on, will ya?’ 

“So, I sort of snuck into areas that gave me an apprenticeship you couldn’t possibly have had. All the other artists weren’t around to see that.”

Read the full interview in the June 2022 edition of Retro Pop, out now via our Online Store.

READ MORE: Rick Astley: ‘Pete Waterman gave me an education in pop music like no other!’