Santa meets Sinatra as Rick rocks Christmas: TIM DE LISLE reviews Rick Astley's Swinging Christmas at the Royal Albert Hall
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Rick Astley's Swinging Christmas (Royal Albert Hall, London). Rating:. Culture Club (The O2, London). The Christmas chart once belonged to the 1970s. We would party like it was 1973, shouting along to Slade and Wizzard. But lately the 1980s, true to form, have launched a takeover.
![[Astley finds his top gear when the music slows down, with classics such as When I Fall In Love and As Time Goes By]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/21/20/93389003-14217361-image-a-3_1734813231112.jpg)
First it was The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl, sprinkling vinegar on the merriment. Now it’s George Michael, bringing a gorgeous sadness. His untimely death on Christmas Day 2016 gave Last Christmas a new lease of life. After finally reaching No 1 in 2021, it was back there this week.
![[Boy George of the Culture Club performs at The O2 Arena on December 15 2024]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/21/20/93389051-14217361-image-a-1_1734813221804.jpg)
Rick Astley seems as if he should have a Christmas hit. His one attempt, Love This Christmas (2020), was a surprise flop, so instead he does a festive tour. It’s Santa meets Sinatra. If you can’t have old chestnuts at this time of year, when can you?.
![[George's patter is a joy, the design vivid, the video sparky, the costumes lovably ludicrous]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/21/20/93389053-14217361-image-a-2_1734813226939.jpg)
Rick has what it takes – the bonhomie, the big band, the tuxedo and the timing. He can revitalise tired material just by slipping behind the beat. In a parallel life he’d be a great cruise-ship crooner. He finds top gear when the music slows down. His versions of As Time Goes By and When I Fall In Love are so delicious they should be a double A-side. Maybe next Christmas.
Rick Astley has what it takes at the Royal Albert Hall – the bonhomie, the big band, the tuxedo and the timing. Astley finds his top gear when the music slows down, with classics such as When I Fall In Love and As Time Goes By. The 1980s revival continues at a packed O2. Heaven 17 (four stars) light the fire with Temptation, and Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet (three stars) warms the heart with True. But this is Culture Club’s show, so it’s all about Boy George.
