Rick Astley to perform Dublin and Belfast shows to support new album

Rick Astley, known for '80s smash hit, 'Never Gonna Give You Up,' has announced a Dublin date on his forthcoming album tour.

Astley will be at 3Arena on March 5th next year performing songs from Are We There Yet? - which is due for release on October 6th. Tickets will be on sale on July 14.

The English performer will also perform att The SSE Arena, Belfast on 4th March. Astley rose to fame nearly overnight with his solo debut single, 'Never Gonna Give You Up,' topping the charts in over 20 countries, as well as the year-end chart for UK singles in 1987.

These days, though the song remains a fixture of pop culture, it features more prominently in online memes in a phenomenon known as "rickrolling." Though not every album of his has reached the same acclaim, he appeared back on the top of the charts with his '50' album in 2016.

Much of Astley's later work might be better categorised as blue-eyed soul in contrast with the dance-pop hits that originally brought him to fame.

His newest track, 'Dippin My Feet,' features a sound that draws from American soul icons like Bill Withers, Marvin Gaye, and Al Green, while retaining his signature deep baritone and optimistic outlook.

“It’s not Americana, but the tag-line at the start of the chorus is: ‘Dipping my feet in the Mississippi River…’ It’s definitely not country, but I’ve never twanged a guitar as much as I have in the past couple of months. 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," Astley said in a press release.

Astley wrote, recorded and produced the album himself at his studio in South London, as was the case with his last two albums, 50 and Beautiful Life, which came out in 2016 and 2018 respectively. With the exception of brass, keyboards and some backing vocals, Astley performed the entire record himself.

"Are We There Yet? shows that Rick is still pushing to reach even greater musical heights, in the process guaranteeing entertainment and joy on record, on stream, on radio and on stage," said his agent in a press release.

Are We There Yet?’ is available to pre-order. In addition to its digital release, physical formats include a CD, a CD with a signed postcard, and a coloured vinyl. Rick’s official store offers exclusive products such as a vinyl picture disc, a deluxe CD and a cassette. There is also a CD with an alternative colour sleeve, which will be stocked exclusively by HMV.