Trinity Ents is hosting Brit Award-winning artist Rick Astley at this evening’s Secret Chapel Gig. The gig takes place at 9pm, with the identity of the performer having been kept secret prior to the event.
Astley is world-renowned for his 1987 hit “Never Gonna Give You Up”, which was a number one single in 25 countries and won the 1988 Brit Award for Best British Single. He has been supporting 90s band Take That on their Greatest Hits tour in the 3Arena. Astley most recently released his Beautiful Life album in July 2018.
In a press statement, Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) Ents Officer, David Flood, said: “It’s fantastic to be able to host Rick Astley in Trinity. We originally thought that it was all a joke when we were contacted by his team, that we were being rickrolled, but eventually, it all became very real! We have such unique and cool venues in Trinity that are used rarely for events like this. It’s amazing to be able to use them for events like this.”
In 2007, Astley became the subject of “rickrolling”, a viral meme where internet users were tricked into watching the music video for “Never Gonna Give You Up” after clicking a link claiming to be something else. The meme became such a phenomenon that YouTube made every video on its front page a rickroll on April Fools Day in 2008.
