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 Nâ Roses, Elton John, and Arctic Monkeys, alongside the likes of Lizzo, Lana Del Rey, MĂ„neskin, 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 â an honour that makes him feel “quite nervous”, as he told NME.
âI think anyone whoâs never played it before would have to say that,” said the pop veteran. “Iâm so looking forward to it. We were supposed to do it a few years back and then COVID came. I thought, âThat wonât come around again â itâll be one of those gigs that just slips away and weâll never get backâ. Then we got the call and itâs super exciting.
âItâs a rite of passage to play Glastonbury at any level, but Iâm on the bleeding Pyramid Stage! Thatâs insane, to be honest. âGo and open up on the Saturday, then the headliner is Guns âNâ Rosesâ. Itâs 10 hours later, but still. Youâd have to be made of stone to not be nervous for that.â
He continued: â12 oâclock seems really early for me for a festival, but Iâve spoken to various friends from different bands who have done different slots on the Pyramid, and theyâve said itâs just one of those things â 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 didnât play âNever Gonna Give You Upâ. Itâs part of my DNA and who I am. I can say it, because I didnât write â but thereâs no way of getting away from that song. Itâs 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. Iâm not daft enough to fool myself into thinking otherwise. I relish those songs. Theyâre 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.
âI like doing covers. Itâs 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 couldnât 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. Weâd had a couple of beers so we said, âLetâs just ease into the weekendâ.
“You obviously canât 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 donât want it to overcome me, but Glastonbury feels so big that no matter what you play, you could get it wrong.â

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 âchurning upâ emotions.
Having previous joined Dave Grohl on stage at Club NME â before a duet with Foo Fighters at Reading Festival â does Astley know if there’s any truth to the Glasto rumours?
âI think everyone has heard those rumours. I havenât had a text from Dave if thatâs what youâre asking,” he replied. “I donât know. I went to the Taylor Hawkins tribute gig at Wembley and Iâm just really happy for them that they can go out and play live again. In a lot of peopleâs minds, it was unknown if they would. Itâs a wonderful thing. If they did turn up at Glastonbury and there was a roof, then Iâm sure theyâd take the roof off.
âI would never profess to being mates with Foo Fighters, but theyâre always really lovely when we bump into each other. Theyâre super solid and real people.â
If he has any time to see other acts across the weekend, Astley said that he was excited about two headliners in particular.
âIâd really like to see Arctic Monkeys, but Iâd rather have seen them in a club 12 years ago,” he said. “Not to take away from what theyâve been doing with stadiums because theyâre amazing. For my sins, Iâve got a midlife crisis rock band with two fellows who are my age and âI Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloorâ is one of the songs that we used to absolutely murder. I remember that song coming out and thinking, âThis is a moment, something has just changedâ.
“They just had something about them. The fact that he sings like heâs from Yorkshire is really important. Like with The Smiths, thereâs a true Britishness to what they do.”
Astley continued:Â âIâm going to see Elton, for sure. Thatâs going to be emotional. Weâve 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 Godâs sake, but for all his players, the people around him, itâll be super emotional and there will be tears. Certainly for me because I cry at cat videos now.
âI saw Eltonâs last London show a few weeks ago and heâs singing better than heâs sung in years. You see someone with a catalogue of songs like that and you think, âHow did he do that?â”

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?
âYou canât even dream of that,” he replied. “You just have to go and try enjoy it, otherwise itâs the road to ruin. Iâve got a new suit, say no more, and Iâm just going to enjoy it for what it is. I couldnât do the legends slot because I donât have the tunes. I retired after four years.
“Itâs 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? Theyâre not going to know any of that lot. Iâm still going to play a couple though, because thatâs 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 yearâs edition sees the iconic event make its return to Worthy Farm, and will feature headline performances from the likes of Guns Nâ Roses, Elton John, and Arctic Monkeys, alongside the likes of Lizzo, Lana Del Rey, MĂ„neskin, 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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