Rick Astley - MTV 'Best Act Ever' - hits Kingston (From Kingston Guardian)

Best Act Ever hits Kingston

8:40am Sunday 13th May 2012 in Freetime By Tom Barnes

Your average winner of the Best act Ever at the MTV Europe music awards might expect to be selling out Wembley stadium rather than plying a trade in a spit and sawdust boozer in Kingston, writes Tom Barnes.

But bequiffed crooner Rick Astley, whose hypnotic arm-flailing shuffle, penchant for baggy blazers and everyman charm so illuminated the late 1980s music charts, is no ordinary slice of pop pie.

Astley’s revival could be argued to owe more to a collection of anarchic internet geeks, whose rickrolling campaign saw him land the accolade, ahead of rock and pop’s biggest hitter, than a reappraisal of his 1987 hit Never Gonna Give You Up.

It is difficult to deny the charm of the ex-choirboy, which is why the chance to see a bona-fide superstar 200 yards from Kingston train station, should not be passed up.

Rick’s new outfit, the Luddites, never strays too far from the irony-laden kitsch that has served him so well in what is now a 25-year plus showbiz career, charming in their take on rock’n’roll classics.

Back behind the sticks with two middle aged chums, the Luddites rock till they drop, which actually takes longer than you would think.

The Luddites with Rick Astley, the Grey Horse, 46 Richmond Road, Kingston, May 17, 9pm, £10 to £12, 020 8541 4328, grey-horse.co.uk.