737373LET’S TAKE A CHANCE
ON A HAPPY ENDING
Ten years later, the group were reunited
for a confrontational Sky TV show where
they came face to face for the first time
since that Manchester gig and
eventually cleared the air.
The subsequent
UK tour was a sold-out
success and their
second greatest hits
a chart-topper.
It looked like
Steps had been
given a new lease
of life. But their then
manager Steven
Howard (who had
previously worked with
Lulu) had other ideas and
decided that it would be a
good idea for them to release an
album of Christmas ballads to support a
special festive theatre tour that he had roped
them into. Light Up The World turned out to
be even more disastrous than H & Claire’s
solo effort. Claire said: “We had this idea
to do a Christmas album. Originally it was
going to be full of upbeat Phil Spector-
type songs. But then our manager said he
didn’t want us to do that and wanted us to
have less Christmas songs so it had more
longevity. That was stupid and a mistake.
He didn’t get us.”
So here we are in 2017, with a new
album of dance songs, which they have
released by themselves and without a label.
“We have completely different
management [Peter Loraine who wasbehind The Saturdays] so we knew that it
wouldn’t be like it was that time,” Claire
says. “There was a bit of umm-ing and
aaah-ing about whether we should have
released just a single, a repackage or an
EP. Eventually we decided that a
brand new album was the
best way to go. I’m glad
we did as it’s really a
good album and the
reaction to the single
has been incredible.”
The record, which
has been produced
by The Alias, has
been described as
“all killer and no filler”.
“We had everything
to say about this album,”
Faye explains. “It is so
exciting. It’s the first time we as
a group could pick and choose the
songs that we think the audience wants.”
Their triumphant return marks the group’s
20th anniversary and appears to have been
orchestrated with foresight and panache
-– unlike the Spice Girls, whose own 20th
anniversary celebrations collapsed when
Posh and Sporty refused to sign up.
“We’re gutted they haven’t been able to
pull it together,” says Faye. “Our power of
having so much success this time is we’ve
come back with the original line up. We
would never have reunited if someone didn’t
want to do it. We always said we would
never come back if someone didn’t want to.
It was all or nothing, five or nobody.”
And it’s clear that the affection for the
band remains, 20 years on. Why haveSteps managed to keep that fire burning in
the hearts of their fans while the likes of
S Club haven’t?
“We were honest and open – that’s why
the public jumped on us more than S Club
and Spice Girls,” Lee suggests. “We were
having fun, we weren’t trying to be anything
other than a pop band.
“In a way, we were kind of punk rock, in
that people loved us in spite of the fact we
did the opposite to what was deemed as
acceptable and cool.
“It was like we were sticking two fingers
up to the people who thought we were
rubbish, knowing that we had that loyal
audience behind us.”
And that loyal audience have stayed
true to this very day. And Lee understands
why. Steps were not just a happy-go-lucky
pop group. He reckons they were a much-
needed soundtrack and safe place for
young people struggling with aspects of
their lives.
Lee said: “We have a big gay following
and we have always had messages from
people telling us that we really helped
them during a difficult time in their lives.
I’m not saying we were solving third world
problems but we had a lot of people who
really took the band to heart.”
So with the album out and filling the cold
grey world with colour and warmth again,
can we expect them to stick around a bit
longer? “We are going to play it by ear,”
Faye teases. “We didn’t think we were
going to get this response and we think we
have a bit more left in us. It looks like it’s
more positive so it looks like there could be
more after next year!”“IN A WAY, WE WERE KIND
OF PUNK ROCK, IN THAT PEOPLE
LOVED US IN SPITE OF THE FACT WE
DID THE OPPOSITE TO WHAT WAS DEEMED
AS ACCEPTABLE AND COOL.
IT WAS LIKE WE WERE STICKING TWO
FINGERS UP TO THE PEOPLE WHO
THOUGHT WE WERE RUBBISH...”
LEE“All or nothing”...
Claire, “H”, Faye,
Lee and Lisa
back together as the
pop powerhouse StepsCP30.steps.print.indd 73 07/06/2017 17:11