News about Rick Astley

The problem-plagued Co-op Live arena finally launches with Elbow gig after being forced to call off three concerts at the last minute. The £365m Manchester venue is opening tonight with rock band Elbow, after an inspection gave the arena the all-clear, with boss Tim Leiweke adding he is confident it is now 'the safest building in the world.' This comes after the arena, which boasts being the largest in the UK, was forced to postpone opening shows three times because of concerning structural issues with the building, including parts from the ventilation falling from the ceiling. The band boosted fans confidence that the night will go ahead as planned after posting a photo of their stage set up in the arena saying 'ready'.

Fans of rock band Elbow have admitted feeling 'apprehensive' ahead of tonight's Co-op Live arena opening gig which follows a series of issues at the venue. The £365 million arena in Manchester has postponed three opening shows, most recently after part of the ventilation system fell to the ground from the ceiling during a soundcheck on May 1. Playing their hometown, Elbow are now set to open the venue after it announced it was 'satisfied' the issue was an 'isolated manufacturing default' following inspection. Samantha, 51, from Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, said she had booked tickets to see the band to celebrate her birthday on Tuesday. 'I'm hoping to go tonight, it all seems to be going ahead but I won't feel fully sure until I'm standing there and actually watching the gig,' she said.

Manchester's troubled Co-op Live arena is finally set to open with hometown band Elbow tonight after over a month of setbacks. Hometown band Elbow will play the first event in the £365million arena built to compete with London 's O2 to host the UK's biggest musical shows. The Co-op Live is now the country's biggest indoor arena, with a 23,500 capacity, but postponed its opening show three times - most recently after part of its ventilation and air conditioning system fell to the ground from the ceiling as fans queued outside. Rock band Elbow, who hail from Greater Manchester, are now set to open the venue on Tuesday after it announced it was 'satisfied' the issue was an 'isolated manufacturing default' following an inspection.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity to the BBC, the workers revealed how construction staff at the venue warned back in February that works were 35 weeks behind schedule. In the leadup to the grand opening, the arena had been billed as the greatest indoor arena for music, comedy and sport ever built outside the United States. Costing £365million, it is the most expensive and largest purpose-built concert venue in Britain and the jewel in the crown for an American-based firm that owns 300 venues around the world. But promises soon began to unravel, with the venue forced to cancel the debut performance by A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie just over an hour before he was due to begin on Wednesday. Many fans had already arrived at the venue and were left puzzled at what had gone wrong.

US rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie (right) has moved his cancelled show for this Saturday at the crisis-hit Manchester Co-op Live (left) to the city's rival AO Arena. The opening of the 'Co-Flop' as the UK's biggest indoor arena has been dogged with technical issues and the postponement of huge shows - but ordinary fans are paying the true price for bosses' failures to get teething issues under control. Manchester's landmark £365million venue has stoked fury among fans of Olivia Rodrigo after her two dates this weekend were postponed - while American rapper A Boogie Wit da Hoodie's show was cancelled while punters queued outside.

Manchester's landmark £365million venue has stoked fury among fans of Olivia Rodrigo (top right) after her two dates this weekend were postponed - while American rapper A Boogie Wit da Hoodie's show was cancelled while punters queued outside. To add insult to injury, the arena has sent out automated emails to those who had queued for Wednesday's concert to ask them about their 'world-leading fan experience' (bottom right). The cancellation of triple-Grammy winner Olivia's Friday and Saturday shows, meanwhile, has left children in tears - with parents angrily berating arena bosses for letting them book expensive travel and accommodation unlikely to be refunded (inset).

Tim Leiweke then put his arm around an excitable BBC reporter and promised 'we're never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down' - a nod to Rick Astley who was playing in the first gig that night. But those words would come back to haunt and humiliate the 57-year-old multi-millionaire, whose grand opening has been an unmitigated disaster. Hours later there were chaotic scenes when thousands of fans turned up to watch 80s idol Astley perform only to find out their tickets had been cancelled without notice. Behind the scenes Leiweke was said to be incandescent over the scandal - and despite the horseplay in his BBC interview - there were signs of problems because he stood there with his arms crossed and said with a hint of desperation: 'I'm just trying to get it open'.

Punters awaiting the opening of Manchester's new £365million Co-op live arena this week have been left outraged and disgusted by a leaked bar menu that suggests the cost of a pint in the venue will be £8.95. The arena, which is set to officially open tomorrow with a Peter Kay gig, will have the largest maximum capacity of any UK venue capable of holding 23,500 people at a time.

Rick Astley has branded his 80s hit Never Gonna Give You which catapulted him to overnight super stardom a 's*** song'. The 1987 release reached number one in 25 countries before finding notoriety again as one of the earliest YouTube pranks for Rickrolling. But while Rick, 58, isn't the tune's biggest fan he said performing it on stage at last year's Glastonbury Festival helped finally make it something special. 

Earlier this month, the directors of Britain's intelligence, protection, and cyber agency ordered a photographic puzzle as part of a drive to recruit applicants capable of 'thinking out of the box' and thus fit for work with the top-secret Cheltenham-based company. Several clues were hidden in an illustration of a city landscape, and if they were found, could be used to spell the word 'Journey to GCHQ.' We asked Justin Eagleton, a kid, to draw a picture especially for Today's Easter edition of The Mail on Sunday to put your lateral thinking skills to the test. He's created a virtual seaside village, and there are 11 clues (11 because that's the number of Jesus' apostles who remained faithful following Judas' betrayal) that are then unjumbled to spell out a message.

The much-anticipated festival will be held from Wednesday, June 26, 2024 to June 30, 2024. It's the first time in the event's history that female performers have been given two of the three headline slots.

Festival season may seem to be a long way away, but it's never too late to start planning for 2024 and buying those tickets while you can. And if you're a pop fan, techno lover, metalhead, or an indie kid at heart, here are the key music festival dates to get into your diary.

The pop legend, 57, will appear on the main stage alongside artists Faithless, Paloma Faith, McFly, and the Scissor Sisters. Speaking on the news, Rick said: 'Really looking forward to performing at Camp Bestival, it's become one of Britain's best events and I'm excited to be there!'

Since taking over Ken Bruce's Radio 2 show last year, Vernon Kay has landed a fantastic new radio job at the BBC. The presenter, 49, has impressed bosses and is now gearing up for front of Radio 2's Piano Room, which will see some of the world's top musicians perform live with the incredible BBC concert orchestra. Artists will perform a few songs, including one of their hit singles and a cover.

On Sunday evening, Rick Astley and Rylan Clark's surprise duet split on a cover of You Spin Me Round left viewers divided. 57, the Never Give Me Up hitmaker on BBC One's New Year's Eve Rocks show by thanking the This Morning host, 35, on stage to belt out Death Or Alive's legendary 1985 hit outrage to mixed reactions. Both supporters and critics who weighed in on the show's success were flooded with tweets, with some naming the show as 'camp genius,' while others argued that the country is on its own a**e' as a result of the BBC's decision to air the pairing.

Why not turn up the clock and welcome Jools Holland and his legendary musical line-up or Graham Norton's A-listers into your living room as the clock ticks toward 2024. With a celebrity bang - or a real one in the case of London's firework display - and the Hogmanay Live shows, gather your loved ones and kick off the first day of the first month. Here's a look at how to usher in New Year's Day and sprinkle your holiday with granol. BBC1

The FTSE 100, which was later known as the 'Footsie,' embodied British innovation in 1984. The index was recalculated on the antiquated FT 30, which was only used for a day. For the first time, it was possible to track top home-grown brands such as Barclays, Barratt, British Aerospace, BP, Glaxo, Legal & General, Prudential, Sainsbury's and Shell. These businesses now form the index's nexus. Private investors, whose ranks were increasing as a result of privatizations, were excited by the introduction of the new index in 1984. So were UK insurance companies and pension funds, which, in the early 1900s, owned less than half of the London stock market.

With more than 3,500 establishments dotted around the city, locals and tourists alike are never more than a few steps away from crashing into a tap house. However, there are a few boozers owned by some of Hollywood's most well-known stars. At Sir Ian McKellen's legendary east London bar, where Charles Dickens was known to enjoy a tipple or sip champagne at Idris Elba's posh wine bar in King's Cross, punds can downsy. Some people will delight in a pint pulled by James Blunt at his Chelsea restaurant or snuggle in Ed Sheeran's Notting Hill boozer.

Sainsbury's chief executive, Simon Roberts, reports that his stores have returned to vogue due to a change in shopping habits since Covid's time. During the pandemic, shoppers who were working reduced hours or away from home had more time to shop around for bargains at discount stores. However, with millions of people returning to work, as well as the annual pressures and Christmas stresses, customers have instead chosen to go to supermarkets like Sainsbury's, where they can get everything they need under one roof. Sainsbury's and Aldi's websites reveal a number of items that are not available in the former, but not at the latter. These include homeware, steam irons, sellotape for the essential Christmas wrapping, certain herbs and spices, such as bay leaves, pans, and other kitchen equipment. Newspapers, magazines, cigarettes, and stamps are all available at Sainsbury's, but not at Aldi. With 40,000 customers as opposed to Aldi's 2,000, the supermarket has a product range that is 20 times larger than its German retailer counterpart.

Rick Astley, a comedian who appears in the Royal Variety Show this Sunday, is expected to appear on televisions around the county. He will be joining a celebrity-studded cast of Cher, Hannah Waddingham, and Paloma Faith will grace the stage. The Prince and Princess of Wales will both be present in the crowd alongside Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden, with Prince and Princess of Wales Coordination. Since his release from music in 2003, the 80s pop sensation has made a comeback, from appearing on the Glastonbury stage in 2023 to his hit record 50. But who is the woman who has supported him through all the highs and lows of his career? Lene Bausager, MailOnline's biography, takes a look at him.

According to WACL, a UK-based group of female leaders in advertising and communications aiming to raise gender equality in the market, Adland's depiction of women hasn't changed as much as it appears. According to the company, women account for more than 80% of all purchase decisions, but 91% claim advertisers don't know them and don't feel represented in the photographs they see every day. However, it is not limited to a company - six out of ten women, apparently, believe that advertising plays a crucial part in debating societal stereotypes. WACL's 300 plus senior women in advertising and communications are determined to raise the voices of women who want the industry to #RepresentMe more - and they talked to young girls aged 12-18 to see what they wanted from future advertisements. It included bringing people's security, dismanaging outdated stereotypes, and allowing females to appear in more than merely'sweet' or'sexy' photographs. Lori Meakin, WACL's Comms Exec lead and author of No More Menemies and Founder of The Others & Me, reveals the new-day advertisements are guilty of'sneaky sexism.'

Sainsbury's largest increase in market share in more than a decade today as the company battles back against discounters Aldi and Lidl in the run-up to Christmas. Sainsbury's now accounts for 15.6 percent of grocery spending in the United Kingdom, up from 15.2 percent a year ago, according to industry research firm Kantar's estimates. This was the highest increase since 2013 and it came at a time when Taste the Difference range was in high demand, with sales up 23%. Sainsbury's also increased its price war, and the Aldi price match programme now has 400 products. The Taste the Difference range was included prominently in Sainsbury's Christmas TV commercial this year, starring singer Rick Astley, which also included some of the company's own employees. Tesco, the UK's largest supermarket, increased its market share in the 12 weeks to November 26 from 27.2 percent in the same year. In what was the fifth month in a row that it had gains, the company saw a revenue rise of 8.6 percent. Lidl was also the fastest-growing supermarket in the United Kingdom, boosting sales by 14.2 percent over the previous year to reach a new high market share of 7.8 percent. Aldi's revenues soared by 11.1 percent and now stands at 9.6 percent of the market.

On Thursday evening, Mel C led the star-studded arrivals at the Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall. The Spice Girl, 49, looked as chic as ever as she flashed her blue brace under a statement white jacket. She was joined by the likes of Never Gonna Give You Up singer Rick Astley, who was typically dressed in a black suit.

Crown Princess Victoria and Crown Prince Daniel of Sweden have paid a visit to Woodditton, Cambridgeshire, where they tried their hand at some local traditions. The Duke and Duchess of Västergötland discovered themselves in The Three Blackbirds Pub, near Newmarket, in the picturesque heart of horse racing country. The Swedish royal couple worked a shift as they attempted to pour their own pints of beer after being shown around the historic pub.