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.
Fancy a look inside this beautiful former doctors house in the heart of Harewood?
Silly question, of course you do.
The only thing is, you'll need a spare £1.6 million before you can call it your own...but it doesn't hurt to have a look, does it?
Take a look behind this charming front door of what is, by far, one of the finest properties the Leeds housing market has to offer at the moment.
Images: Right Move/ North Residential
This Georgian family home features an impressive 6000 sq ft of accommodation as well as one of the most beautiful gardens we've ever seen.
I mean, how often do you have your own weeping willow tree in your front porch?
The house dates back to the late 1700’s and was once a former doctor’s surgery, but now it stands as one of the fanciest and most prestigious homes in Harewood.
Images: Rightmove / North Residential
We're already obsessed with the gorgeous stone and perfectly manicured landscape, but it's just as exciting when you take a look through the adorable sage green door.
The interior is giving cottage core but in the best way possible, we're talking plenty of wooden beams, solid oak flooring, original windows and of course a big fat AGA.
There's a whopping six bedrooms and three bathrooms (all featuring a sexy big bath), but the grounds are what really give this place the hefty price tag.
Images: Right Move/ North Residential
The listing itself states: "With its unique and private plot and rural walks on your doorstep, The Old Surgery provides a rare opportunity to enjoy tranquil village living, yet within striking distance to the hustle and bustle, in a home that is steeped in superb history."
Yep, we couldn't have put it better ourselves.
To have a proper nosey, take a look at the listing here.
The Franco Manca ‘pizza run’ explained – here’s how you can get a free pizza
Danny Jones
If you’ve been wondering why you’re seeing a lot of free pizza lately, we’re here to explain the current Franco Manca pizza ‘run trend’.
And yes, we were the foolish ones enough to have not quizzed any of our jogging chums until now, meaning we’ve missed out on more money and free pizza. Sigh.
Nevermind, though, because at least we spotted it before the end of the month (this being Franco Manca’s main January deal), and we dare say that now you’ve heard about it, you’ll see plenty others popping up on social media with their free slices.
That’s right, it may be a very thin slice with a very long and thin slice, but that is as much of a pizza slice outline as we needed to qualify for the current deal.
Yes, we’re aware that the actual pepperonis on ours are more square than most – listen, we did our best, and we’ve certainly seen people pulling off better overall shaped pizzas than us; that’s part of the fun/and or challenge.
For instance, we didn’t mean for our picture to come out with one long crust running down either…
So, how does it work, you ask? Well, it’s quite simple, to be fair. All you have to do is run a pizza-shaped route (any pizza shape works, by the way), map your route on the likes of Strava or Apple Fitness, etc., then show your creation at your nearest and claim a quid off for every kilometre you run.
As advertised on the ‘Map My Pizza Run’ page on their website, the aim isn’t about putting pressure or hitting a strict target; you simply get rewarded the longer you go.
Here’s a handy example from a local running content creator for you:
There are some stipulations, such as not being used in conjunction with any other offer, one pizza map being valid per person, and the route has to have been run in January. You can find the full terms and conditions HERE.
Oh, and technically, you can do it however you like: run, walk, cycle – you name it. Other than that, we’ve pretty much given you all the info you need to know, so go and get yourself some free pizza.
Clementine Hall -
20th June 2023 
