Glastonbury virgins: Rick Astley gets ready for his first time – just like Elton John
While the likes of Arctic Monkeys and Fatboy Slim are Glastonbury veterans, there are plenty of performers taking to the stages at the famous festival for the first time this year – including one Sir Elton John.
For the Rocket Man, this one is extra special, as it marks his final ever UK gig before he retires from touring.
“There is no more fitting way to say goodbye to my British fans,” Sir Elton has said of what will be his first and last Glastonbury show. He has promised a different setlist to the one played during tour gigs, and teased special guests – with everyone from Lady Gaga, Ed Sheeran, Chris Martin and Britney Spears to Dua Lipa, Taron Egerton and Olly Alexander on the rumour list.
The UK leg of Sir Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour ends with his Glastonbury performance
Despite being one of the biggest-selling music artists of all time, the 76-year-old has still admitted to feeling “intimidated” about headlining the most famous festival in the world.
But as a Glastonbury virgin, he’s in good company this year, with plenty of other acts experiencing the Worthy Farm magic for the first time.
Among them is Rick Astley, who will open the Pyramid stage on Saturday morning.
“I’ve dropped our daughter off many times, but I’ve never actually gone through the gates myself,” he told Sky News. “That’s kind of strange, considering I’m on the Pyramid Stage tomorrow… I don’t know how I’m going to get to sleep tonight actually thinking about that.
“You kind of think, we’ll give it our best shot, we’re going to go down there and we’re going to do this, that and the other. And then when you arrive and you see the enormity of it, the size of it and the scale of it – because cameras can’t do it justice – you have to actually be here and take that time to actually drift through a little bit.
“I think the nerves get worse, but I also want to kind of try and enjoy it, just be in the moment and not let it slip away without me actually being present, as it were.”
The size of the festival is something the singer realised he had underestimated.
“The scale is hard to deal with. I’ve looked at who’s playing and I’m thinking, ‘oh, I’d love to see them, I’d love to see them’. Now that I’m here, I’m thinking, you haven’t got a hope in hell of getting from that stage to that stage. So I’ve realigned my bands and artists that I want to see. It’s just massive.”
Axl Rose and Slash of Guns’n’Roses – who will also perform for the first time. Pic: Jack Plunkett/Invision/AP
Astley is one of those artists beloved by everyone; as he chats ahead of a not-so-surprise set alongside Blossoms, he is stopped for selfies several times. No doubt his early Pyramid stage set will draw a big crowd, and the sing-along to his most famous hit, Never Gonna Give You Up, should provide a memorable Glastonbury highlight.
At 57, he says he is enjoying soaking up the festival for the first time as he experiences his career resurgence.
“There’s a lot of people who’ll come to Glastonbury and they might be 18 or 19 and play it for the first time, and that’s great. But having waited so long to get a chance, I think that’s a cool thing as well… to come to Glastonbury at this point I think is amazing. I’m really conscious of making sure I enjoy it and I think if I was a lot younger, it might just sort of buzz by without me realising.”
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Other big-name first-timers performing in 2023 include Guns’n’Roses, who headline the Pyramid stage later on Saturday, and Yusuf Islam, AKA Cat Stevens, who takes this year’s “legends slot” on Sunday afternoon.
Astley says he can understand why even Sir Elton feels some nerves. “I don’t care who you are, if you’re one of those people who gets up there and just dials in and doesn’t care, then you shouldn’t be doing it anyway.
“I’ve met him a bunch of times and I just don’t think he’s that kind of a character. I think he wants to put on a show and leave Glastonbury wanting more.
“I’m sure he’s like that. I’m sure [Paul] McCartney is like that, I’m sure they all are. They don’t want to come here and just be ‘okay’. They want to come and blow it away. I think it’s going to be emotional, his set, because of what it means – it’s the last British gig, almost the last gig ever. So it’s going to be… I think I might have a few tears anyway.”
As for his own set, Astley says he has no idea what to expect when he walks out on to that famous stage, following in the footsteps of stars including Sir Paul, The Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce, Kylie Minogue and dozens more.
“We’ve all seen it, you know, it’s enormous. It’s mad. But I also think there’s a lot of love here… I think music is way less separate and people’s tastes are way more eclectic. I think they’re quite as happy to go and see the biggest rock band in the world, then go and see Elton on the last night, maybe catch someone like myself, you know, at 12 o’clock… with a hangover.”
Hangover or no hangover, Astley will deliver, ticking off a milestone moment in his career.
“It’s a privilege to be in the audience at Glastonbury,” he says. “But it’s a super privilege to actually be one of the performers.”
Entertainment
Cara Delevingne reveals how Topshop inspired her fashion sense – as brand relaunches in London
Fashion brand Topshop celebrated its relaunch with its first catwalk in seven years.
The company’s website promised everyone was invited as models strutted down a runway on Trafalgar Square in front of noughties fashion icons Cara Delevingne and Adwoa Aboah and the London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan.
The label has been operating on the online fashion platform ASOS after ceasing to operate as a standalone business in 2020.
Topshop held a catwalk in Trafalgar Square. Pic: PA
A model on the catwalk
Its previous owner, Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia group, collapsed into administration and all of Topshop’s physical stores – including the Oxford Circus flagship in London’s West End – closed soon after.
Delevingne told Sky News she was “totally blown away” by the relaunch event.
“It was like nostalgia mixed with something eclectic but also something brand new,” she said.
“For me, it really brings back a time of exploration of my own fashion sense because I think for me at Topshop I got to discover so much.”
The model, who is working on a capsule collection for next year, has already unveiled a choice edit in this year’s show and said her relationship with Topshop precedes her fame.
She said: “I would go in and my friends would be like ‘you would look good in that’ and I would go ‘no, that’s not really me’, and then you’d try it on and be like ‘oh maybe I can explore more’.
“They really have everything for everyone, and I feel like they brought that back.”
The runway showcased highlights from its Autumn-Winter 2025 collection, as well as an early preview of pieces set to drop later this season, including showstopper gowns, the classic white tee, and an aloe vera-coloured faux fur coat that surely should not have been on display – to prevent just about everyone rushing to buy it.
Topshop’s relaunch was staged at Trafalgar Square
Models in front of the National Gallery in London’s Trafalgar Square. Pic: PA
Reclaiming the high street
But sharp tailoring and statement outerwear suggest the brand is ready to reclaim the high street.
Must-have denim pieces completed the womenswear line-up while the Topman collection screamed modern utility by blending refined formal wear with sharp new silhouettes.
Casual pieces are grounded by authentic denim in deep indigos, which stood out on Trafalgar Square’s magnificent stone steps.
Topshop’s relaunch comes as the high street continues to struggle and as the UK operation of Chinese fashion giant Shein announced pre-tax profits of £38.3m for the year, up some £14m from 2023.
‘Top end of the market’
Moses Rashid, global marketing director at Topshop/Topman said they are competing in a different space.
Topshop has been operating on the online fashion platform ASOS after ceasing to operate as a standalone business in 2020
“We’re at the top end of the market. We’re about elevation. We pride ourselves on the quality of the product,” he said.
Those products are being designed in north London, and managing director Michelle Wilson said the aim is to stay that way.
“We are a British brand, we want to be a positive force for fashion. We want to bring London to the world. It’s fundamental to who we are as a brand, our style is very much London-driven.”
The majority Danish-owned company has suggested it will slow fashion down by opening physical stores where customers can touch the products, browse collections and try things on, though the flagship on Oxford Circus is unlikely to return because a Swedish fast furniture brand has since occupied the space.
Designer Wayne Hemingway has previously collaborated with Topshop and said the relaunch must be more than nostalgia.
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“They can’t rely on their old customers because their old customers have now got kids of their own to spend their money on, and they’ve got mortgages and all of those things of what being an adult means.
“They’ve got to have designers, marketeers, people who understand – who are on the pulse – who understood, number one, what was a success back then, and also a young generation of people who are there saying, ‘this is what our generation needs’, and who are bright and can help deliver that. They can’t rely on the past.”
Taylor Swift has revealed the release date for her new album, The Life Of A Showgirl.
The pop megastar announced her 12th studio album earlier this week but didn’t give many details.
Now, in social media posts and an appearance on boyfriend Travis Kelce’s sports podcast, Swift revealed just what fans can expect from the new album.
Taylor Swift and boyfriend Travis Kelce on the New Heights podcast. Pic: New Heights
The Life of Showgirl, written during the European leg of her record-breaking Eras tour, will be released on 3 October.
It consists of 12 songs, including the title track that features pop star Sabrina Carpenter.
The full track list is:
1. The Fate Of Ophelia
2. Elizabeth Taylor
3. Opalite
4. Father Figure
5. Eldest Daughter
6. Ruin The Friendship
7. Actually Romantic
8. Wi$h Li$t
9. Wood
10. Cancelled!
11. Honey
12. The Life Of A Showgirl (featuring Sabrina Carpenter)
Long-time collaborators Max Martin and Shellback, two Swedish producers who worked with Swift on some of her biggest hits, joined the pop star for this album.
Within four hours of posting the full podcast episode on YouTube, it had already gathered 4.7m views.
The cover of Taylor Swift’s newly announced album. Pic: Republic Records
The back cover of Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album The Life Of A Showgirl. Pic: Republic Records
‘The hardest-working star in pop’
The album follows last year’s The Tortured Poets Department, which was released during the Eras tour.
That tour, with shows on five continents and in 51 cities, raked in more than $2.2bn (£1.62bn) and was the highest-grossing tour of all time.
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“This album is about what was going on behind the scenes in my inner life during this tour, which was so exuberant and electric and vibrant,” Swift said during her podcast appearance.
Sky News culture and entertainment reporter Gemma Peplow said after her globe-trotting tour and a swathe of re-releases over recent years, the new album cemented Swift’s reputation “as the hardest-working star in pop”.
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