Stepping onto the historic stage for a massive headline show within the ancient stone walls of Lincoln Castle, Rick Astley proved exactly why he remains one of the UK’s most beloved entertainers. Delivering a flawless mix of soaring vocals, infectious 80s nostalgia, and genuinely hilarious stand-up comedy, the pop icon turned the medieval fortress into a sprawling, joyful party, backed by brilliant support sets from indie-pop outfits Deco and The Lottery Winners.
Kicking off the evening under a fluorescent yellow backdrop were East Midlands locals Deco. Flooding the stage extension with immense energy, the band instantly won over the crowd by pairing tracks from their new album Dream House with a handful of viral, synth-pop covers. In a particularly wholesome moment, the band passed an envelope out to a young fan named Dexter who was holding up a homemade poster, explaining they had burnt a custom CD just for him. After delivering a soaring saxophone solo on ‘Us Don’t Mean a Thing’ (which they dubbed the perfect soundtrack for the drive home), the band plugged their Amazon-exclusive album, joking that fans should use up their leftover ten-pound gift cards. They wrapped up their upbeat, funky set with a massive, crowd-wide clap-along to ‘Nice Car’ and a triumphant performance of ‘Rain’.
The energy shifted into pure comedy chaos with the arrival of The Lottery Winners. Opening their set with the Game of Thrones theme music to match the castle’s medieval vibe, complete with a nod to their guest guitarist Katie, the band immediately established their signature playful banter. Frontman Thom Rylance had the crowd in stitches from the outset, mocking his own ego by exiting and re-entering the stage until the applause was loud enough to make them “look famous.” He playfully targeted the BSL interpreters, cheekily forcing them to sign increasingly rude words, and routinely distracted himself by begging the front row for a bite of their fresh churros.
Rylance also took a moment to deliver a beautifully raw speech about his ADHD, school expulsions, and celebrating four years of sobriety before launching into their new track ‘Steady We Go’. The band closed their explosive, high-octane set with a roaring performance of ‘Burning House’, getting the entire castle grounds to crouch real low before triggering a massive, jumping finale.
By the time Rick Astley took to the stage, the atmosphere was electric. Much like his celebratory stint at the First Direct Arena in Leeds earlier this spring, where he proved that some artists genuinely just get better with time, Astley carried himself with the effortless confidence of a man who has absolutely nothing to prove and loves every second of it. Gazing out at the packed courtyard, the singer marvelled, “Wow, there is a lot of you,” before launching straight into ‘Dance With Me’ under a warm orange glow, immediately getting the crowd moving.
The showmanship took a theatrical turn mid-set when a phone rang over the speakers; Astley’s backing vocalists answered it, demanding to know where her husband was, only for the camera to reveal Astley himself sitting behind the drum kit. After a brilliant drum solo, he poured himself a notoriously stiff drink on stage, taking a sip that visibly shocked him before handing it down to the BSL interpreter, who was equally taken aback by its kick.
Astley’s legendary, rich vocals took centre stage during a gorgeous, harmonious performance of ‘Hold Me in Your Arms’ alongside his backing singers. Ever the gent, he then asked the Lincoln audience for a massive favour. Explaining he was missing a close friend’s birthday party to be there, he pulled out his phone to record the entire castle walls belting out a massive, arm-waving rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ to his friend Rebecca.
The undisputed highlight of the production came during a powerful performance of ‘Cry for Help’. Bathed in cool blue and warm orange spotlights, Astley stepped back to let his band and backing vocalists “let rip” with a massive gospel-infused chorus, holding his microphone stand out into the crowd as thousands clapped along in unison.
The singer kept the crowd laughing between tracks with some brilliant storytelling, notably sharing what he called “the biggest mistake of my life.” He recalled lounging by an LA pool in the late 80s sunning his “freckled albino body” when a film company asked him to sing the theme song for a new movie about a billionaire who falls in love with a prostitute. “I said, ‘Tell me who would buy that shit? Nobody would see that movie! And Julia who? Never heard of her.’ Big mistake,” he laughed, before launching into a brilliant cover of Roy Orbison’s ‘Oh, Pretty Woman’.
After introducing his recent track ‘Never Gonna Stop’ (humorously noting that he has two songs starting with the words Never Gonna but refuses to play his signature anthem too early because “half of you would go home so that’s a banker”), he treated fans to a sit-down performance of ‘Keep Singing’. As the night drew to a close, Astley took the crowd right back to 1988 with a thunderous performance of ‘Together Forever’ (‘Whenever You Need Somebody’), leaving those who had to catch early travel connections dancing all the way out of the castle gates.
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