The mud and dust has settled on Glastonbury for another year, taking with it memories of Lana Del Rey’s power being cut and A-list actors appearing on stage for strange dance sequences. One of the most unexpected moments came during Rick Astley’s Sunday opening set on the Pyramid stage, when he surprised the crowd by covering Harry Styles’ recent mega-hit ‘As It Was’.
“[It’s a song that I think almost every single one of you knows,” Astley told the crowd, before jumping into the cover. Watch clips of Astley on stage and listen to the captured audio of the cover below.
Rick Astley: ‘As It Was’ (Harry Styles cover)
It wasn’t the only cover that appeared during Astley’s set: he took on AC/DC’s ‘Highway To Hell’, jumping behind the drumkit for the duration. Of course, Astley rounded it all off with his classic ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’.
Astley also appeared later on in the day with Manchester band Blossoms for a surprise set which consisted entirely of covers of The Smiths.
Astley and Blossoms first teamed up for their Smiths covers project at a gig in London in 2022 – they went on to play a handful of gigs together around the UK.
“I can’t tell you how much I love doing this,” Astley told NME about the unexpected supergroup. “I know it’s sacrilege and they should hang the lot of us on the line for doing it, but I also just don’t care. I’m 57. I’ve talked it over with the guys from Blossoms many times and said, ‘If at any moment any of you decide that you don’t want to do this, just holler’.
“They’re in the middle of their career, four albums in. I’ve got nothing to lose. You can hang me, you can do whatever you want. It doesn’t matter.”
Further Reading
Watch Cate Blanchett Jump on Stage for a Dance at Glastonbury
Rina Sawayama Appears to Call Out Labelmate Matty Healy of The 1975 During Glastonbury Set
