Blossoms & Rick Astley Team Up For Live Shows Celebrating The Smiths
Blossoms and Rick Astley have announced they’ll be teaming up for a pair of shows that will celebrate the songs of The Smiths.
It comes after Blossoms surprised fans during the first of three nights at London’s O2 Kentish Town Forum on 13 September by inviting Astley on stage to run through a selection of Smiths covers.
Taking place at Manchester’s Albert Hall on 8 October and London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town on 9 October, the shows will see Blossoms become Astley’s backing band for a full set of theirs and fans’ most-loved Smiths songs.
he Smiths have always meant so much to Blossoms, with even their rainiest songs complete with wry humour and soul-reaching musicianship and melody,” Blossoms said in a statement. “Their poppier moments are pure, joyful, danceable poetry.
“Imagine backing Rick Astley to play the songs of The Smiths? We’ve had wilder dreams, but not many. We’ll barely be able to believe it until it happens, but the dates are set, we’re studying every note, line and beat to say ‘thank you’ to The Smiths alongside Rick and do both of them proud.”
Astley added: “From the moment The Smiths emerged in 1983 I was hooked and it’s as a fan, with deep respect as a musician for Morrissey, Marr, Rourke and Joyce, that I’ll be joining the endlessly enthusiastic and talented Blossoms on stage to sing their songs.”
The two gigs – billed as ‘The Songs Of The Smiths’ – make good on a suggestion Astley made in a 2016 Rolling Stone interview that he’d one day perform an entire set of Smiths songs.
“It’s no secret that it’s been an ambition of mine to turn an idea that first sounded crazy,” Astley said, “making more sense as Blossoms and I talked about it and then rehearsed it, into a reality. These shows will be nights that I’ll never forget.”
Tickets for the two shows go on sale on Friday (September 17) at 9:30am. See the dates for ‘The Songs Of The Smiths’ shows below.
8 October – Albert Hall, Manchester
9 October – O2 Forum Kentish Town, London.