Steps return for 2017 with a huge UK arena tour, plus a brand-new single and album, marking their twentieth anniversary.
Their new album, Tears On The Dancefloor, marks the band’s first full album of original material since 2000.
I met band members Claire Richards, Lee Latchford-Evans and Lisa Scott-Lee to find out how they were feeling about their comeback, and the prospect of going out on tour. Oh, and there is no need for panic; Steps have not downsized to a threesome so soon after their big announcement; Ian “H” Watkins and Faye Tozer were being interviewed separately in another room to share the promo workload.
In support of the new album, Steps are heading out on the Party On The Dancefloor tour this November and December. The run kicks off in Belfast on November 12th and hits twenty two arenas across the UK and Ireland including stops at London’s The SSE Arena, Wembley and The O2.
If you were watching their most recent Sky Living fly-on-the-wall documentary, Steps: On The Road Again, you’d be forgiven for believing this fivesome faced too many hurdles to enable a permanent comeback, yet alone an album of new material. Family life, location and a difference in priorities meant that Claire, H, Lee, Lisa and Faye’s future as a pop band seemed uncertain.
Fast forward another five years, a fourth album Light Up The World, a six-date Christmas tour, and their 20th anniversary since the band got together, and reuniting seems like a natural process.
“Even when we came back in 2011 for the reunion, it just felt like we’d never really been away,” Lee says.
“Something happens when the five of us are together. I’m not quite sure what it is. There’s a little spark that just seems to happen and we seem to just slot back into our old roles. We know each other so well. The chemistry is there, as is the respect, which was probably a little bit less in the past.”
Oh, Lee. That harmonious comeback was going so well.
“Do you mean you didn’t respect me in the past?” Lisa asks. This could have been awkward had there not been guffaws of maniacal laughter.
I am curious about the fans – the people who have followed Steps since they began their pop journey in the late 90s. Sure, the band’s music has appealed to people of all ages, but it was predominantly the teens, and younger kids, who fully embraced the syrupy musical confection and familiar dance routines. Are they still intent on learning the moves?
“We were all in our early twenties when we started,” Claire remembers.
“Most of our fans were teenagers, so now they’re in their thirties, and some have got kids and families of their own. We’ve noticed this time that people have been posting videos of their kids dancing to us on TV. The parents aren’t posting pictures or videos of themselves; they’re sharing films of their kids, which is amazing.”
“We grew up together, and the fans grew up with us,” Lisa says. “When they were going through hard times, Steps were there for them. The fans have have been there for us too.”
Steps have always had the ABBA comparisons, so it seems fitting that they should cover ‘Story Of A Heart, a song written by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, on their latest album.
“Ooh I feel a duet coming on!” Lee says.
“Steps is always bittersweet. All our lyrics are actually quite heartfelt, if not quite sad, whereas the production behind it is often quite high-energy and happy, and we’re always giving a happy performance.”
Steps have scored fourteen consecutive top 5 singles, sold over 20 million records and reached Number One with three albums and two singles. They are BRIT award winning and hold the record for the most consecutive sold-out nights at Wembley. Yet despite their achievements, they’ve had a good share of criticism from pop snobs. Haters gonna hate.
“People always think they can really take the mickey out of us,” Claire says.
Refreshingly, even some of the harshest critics have been won over by Tears On The Dancefloor, which has been produced by top pop dance team The Alias, who have remixed artists such as Ellie Goulding, Little Mix, Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez.
“Lee says he keeps waiting for the bad reviews because it’s all been too nice, Claire laughs. “We’ve been waiting for the sting in the tail.”
“In the past, there have been reviews of us, and there is always a twist at the end, which was written to make that writer seem cool again,” Lee says.
“It’s almost like they couldn’t admit to actually liking us. Nowadays with the way the industry has changed, there is a lot more openness out there. I think people now feel that they can say that they like us and it’s not going to offend anyone, and it’s all welcomed.”
● Marriott Meets: Steps broadcasts on Gaydio on Sunday 30 April 11:00 BST. An uncut version of the interview will then be available to download on The Phil Marriott Podcast.
The post Steps on their Fans, Their Haters, and their Big Dancefloor Party appeared first on philmarriott.net.