Rick Astley announced as latest headliner for Live at Ludlow Castle 2026
English ‘80s pop legend Rick Astley will perform at Ludlow Castle on Friday 24th July as the latest headliner announced for 2026’s Live at Ludlow Castle concert series.
Singer, songwriter, radio DJ and podcaster Rick Astley has been a household name ever since his debut single ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ became an international smash hit, reaching no. 1 in more than 25 countries, winning Astley the 1988 Brit Award for Best British Single and becoming the best-selling single of the year. The track kickstarted an incredible career that saw Astley release four much-loved albums before retiring from the music industry in 1993 in order to spend time with his young family.
Astley returned to music seven years later with his fifth album, Keep It Turned On, which, along with his first ever compilation album, Greatest Hits, spurred Astley to hit the road and tour for the first time in 14 years. 2007 saw the emergence of ‘Rickrolling’, a lighthearted bait-and-switch meme that involves disguising a link to the ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ music video as something seemingly unrelated. A year after the Rickrolling began and buoyed by its enduring popularity, Astley was voted Best Act Ever at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards which not only reaffirmed his place in popular culture but also ushered in a creative renaissance.
Rick released his seventh studio album, 50, in 2016 to celebrate his 50th birthday and it went straight to no. 1 in the UK album charts. The following year Rick performed ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ in the style of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ on stage with American rock titans Foo Fighters at Summer Sonic Festival in Japan, becoming good friends with Foos frontman Dave Grohl as a result.
More recently, Astley performed a memorable set of songs by The Smiths alongside Manchester indie rock band Blossoms at Glastonbury 2023 and released his ninth full-length album, Are We There Yet?, the same year to critical acclaim. To date, Astley has sold over 40 million records worldwide and during the campaign for his debut album he outsold every other artist in the world.
Rick Astley will be joined on the night by Liverpudlian alt-pop legends Lightning Seeds and more acts still to be announced.
Now in its fourth season, the Live at Ludlow Castle series has seen unforgettable, sold-out performances from the likes of Elbow, Olly Murs, Jess Glynne, Supergrass, Faithless, Texas and more for thousands of fans year on year.
Rick Astley joins previously announced 2026 headliners Snow Patrol who will perform at Ludlow on 16th July, The Human League on Saturday 18th, Tom Grennan on Sunday 19th, The Streets on Thursday 23rd, Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft headlining on Saturday 25th with all five shows fully sold out as well as the recently announced Scissor Sisters celebrating their self-titled debut on Sunday 26th July.
Ludlow postcode pre-sale for local residents (SY7, SY8, HR6, DY14, WR15) will open at 10am on Wednesday. General sale opens at 10am on Friday 28th November.
