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  • 10 Things I Learnt at A Steps Concert

    On Friday 1st December, a moment that I had been hoping would happen for twenty years finally arrived… I attended a Steps concert.

    Back in the day, as a thirteen-year-old gay boy, I was one of their biggest fans. Sadly, I never got to see them live, so when they reformed and announced a tour, I knew I had to get tickets and join them for a party on the dancefloor.

    With the sassiest drag queen in the land, Sassi Afrika, in tow, I sashayed into the arena with high expectations. It was worth the twenty-year wait, as they put on a five-star show, but it was also a great learning experience. Here are ten things I learnt by attending a Steps concert.

    They know how to make an entrance

    The entrance was terrific and set the tone for the rest of the show. Dancers with red cloaks and golden glitter face masks moved around the stage carrying flame torches. Steps then arrived on stage, with their identities hidden by red cloaks and glitter face masks too. Dancers then pulled off the cloaks, the masks came off, and the band burst into singing their comeback single, “Scared of the Dark”.

    They know their audience

    Looking around at the crowd gathered at the arena confirmed my suspicions that the audience would be mainly made up of gay men and ladies of a certain age. There were probably more gay men at Steps than were at the Kylie Minogue concert I went to a few years ago. The rest of the audience was mostly people in their 30s and 40s who were big Steps fans two decades ago.

    Throughout the show, there were nice references to many of their fans being gay. A male dancer accompanied H. When the backing dancers had their own performance segment, there was a male dance couple and a female dance couple. H was jokingly flirting with one of the male dancers, which was quite entertaining. Finally, at one point in the show the words ‘Love Wins’ was displayed on a screen in rainbow coloured letters. They were all nice touches that gave a nod to their gay fans. It seemed genuine too, rather than contrived.

    Heterosexual men attend Steps concerts

    Who knew? There were heterosexual couples in attendance, and at one point a man got down on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend. Thankfully she said yes. I always thought that concert proposals were a bit cringe and embarrassing, but having seen one with my own eyes, it was actually quite beautiful and added to what was already a great night.

    Lee can sing

    Again, who knew? I had thought that Lee’s main purpose was to provide some eye candy. While he is very handsome, he can also sing. In the early days of Steps, Lee didn’t really have an opportunity to sing. However, on their new album, he has more singing duties. This enabled him to sing solo parts during the concert, and I was surprised by how good his vocals are. They were on a par with everyone else’s. In fact, everyone’s vocals on the night were outstanding.

    They throw everything at their live shows

    This concert was visually one of the best I have ever been to. The lighting and fantastic set added so much to a brilliant show. The dance routines were spot on and completely in time. The backing dancers were amazing. The audience interaction and previously mentioned nods to their gay fans were really nice touches. It was clear that this is a group who are at the top of their game and happy to show everyone just how good they are. It was a world-class concert.

    Vengaboys are a fantastic support act


    When Vengaboys burst on to the stage, I was happy to hop on the Vengabus with them. Their one-hour set was full on and packed with high energy dance routines and impressive live vocals. I’d forgotten how many hits Vengaboys had and it was nice to hear them again. One thing puzzled me though. Vengaboys do not appear to have aged a day in twenty years. I need to know their secret.

    Steps fans are the friendliest

    I’ve been to a lot of concerts, and there is normally an idiot somewhere nearby. So, it was nice to chat with some lovely people at the Steps concert, share dance routines and have a good laugh with them. Complete strangers were talking to each other, dancing with each other, and have a fantastic time. It was nice to see and experience that.

    Glitter is a must

    I let the side down by not wearing any glitter, devil horns or flashing hat. Much of the audience was dressed up for the gig, and glitter was popular. If I see Steps again, I’m going head to toe in glitter. As the saying goes, when in doubt, add more glitter.

    Sassi Afrika knows every dance Steps routine

    Sassi Afrika is a glorious creature and had been teasing the dance routines. However, nothing prepared me for the show that she put on next to me. From beginning to end, Sassi did every single dance routine, and each move was spot on. If Steps ever need a replacement for Claire, they should give Sassi a call.

    Time has been kind to Steps songs

    We all know that Steps were known for being a bit cheesy in their heyday. However, time has been very kind to their songs. Each song sounded fantastic and somehow better today than when they were released. The material from their new album is very good and very relevant for today’s market. It’s a Steps sound, but with a mature twist. With such an outstanding back catalogue of classic hits, this was always going to be a great show.

     

    Tickets are available for Glasgow Date (7th December), Cardiff (10th December)

  • STEPS: We’ve never been cool or relevant!

    STEPS: We’ve never been cool or relevant!

    Camptastic group, Steps have revealed that they’ve always danced to the beat of their own (uncool) drum.

    In an interview with Huffington Post today, Ian “H” Watkins joked that Steps, who managed to land an iTunes Number 1 with their new (rather marvellous) single, “Scared Of The Dark”, have never been “cool” or “relevant”.

    We’d have to argue otherwise. In their 20 year existence, they’ve managed to rack up a whopping 15 top 20 singles with 13 of those reaching the top 5. That’s pretty darn cool to us.

    When asked by HuffoPo what Steps brought they bring to today’s charts, they said,

    Lisa: We’ve brought colour to the charts.

    Faye: And a bit of drama.

    Claire: I think everyone is so concerned with being cool – or relevant – these days.

    H: We’ve never been cool or relevant! (laughs).

    Claire: Lots of stuff follows the same formula. There’s no diversity anymore. That’s probably why people like Adele and Ed Sheeran do so well because they’re not that.

    Still not heard the song yet – check it out below. 

     

     

  • MUSIC REVIEW: Claire Richards: Deeper Shade Of Blue

    Erstwhile member of pop juggernaut outfit Steps, Claire Richards, gave us all a welcome surprise a few days ago when she posted a stripped-down version of one of their biggest hits ‘Deeper Shade Of Blue’ onto Soundcloud. ★★★★

    One of their most uptempo slices, this version forms a piano-led, torch song with an aching and alluring vocal from Richards, reminiscent of Barbara Streisand at her most devastated.

    The morose and bittersweet lyrics coupled with the quintessential passionate production from Steve Anderson make for one of the best songs to be released this year as summer begins to darken.

    This is light years away from anything Richards has previously released and is a wonderful tribute to her earlier career. In the wrong hands this could have been overblown, but Anderson and Richards seem to have tapped into a magical, yet simple blueprint.

    I’m not sure we can expect such success with a downtempo version of 5,6,7,8, but here’s hoping that this could lead to something quite special and fitting of the cruelly underrated Richards’s undeniable talent.

    Simply magnificent and irresistible.

    BUY THIS ON AMAZON

    by Nick Smith | @peripatenic

  • INTERVIEW | Steps

    INTERVIEW | Steps

    Did you know, that 2012 is the fifteenth anniversary of the camptastic anthem 5,6,7,8?

    I spent ten minutes with the Steps Adonis himself, Lee Latchford-Evans, discussing the old Steps that we all love. Whether like me you’re an open fan, or like many of our readers they’re your guilty pleasure, this Christmas, Steps are promising to Light Up The World.

    With their first original material and studio album since Buzz, Steps are crashing back on to the music scene with their amazing new album. I had the pleasure of asking the lovely Lee some of my own questions, and a few submitted by our fabulous readers.

    So, Lee, you’re back with a brand new album and tour, how does it feel being all together again?
    It’s been manic! We’ve just finished the reunion arena tour, and our TV show but our fans have been so amazing, we decided we needed to give them something back. The new album and tour has been so organic, and unexpected, Steps fans are probably the most loyal fans, and it’s those guys that have brought us back.

    The reunion tour saw all of the music, cheese and camp staging that Steps are famous for. We also saw some of the old stuff modernised and reworked – can we expect this from the new tour?
    Going on tour is always about showcasing yourselves, and our fans are always dancing the routines with us, and singing along. You have to be able to give them something new, so there will be some of the old stuff on the tour, as well as our new stuff. With the Light Up The World album, there are some songs that have a heavier influence of mine and H’s voices, but you’ll just have to wait and see!

    Steps are known for their cheesy, camptastic tunes – can we expect this from the new album?
    This album is a little bit more grown up, we’ve all matured, and our voices have grown. Steps wouldn’t be Steps, without the cheesy pop numbers, we’re still the same really.

    So, from the last tour, we could all see when you did your solo performance you’re in great shape! [For those that don’t know, Lee sang a Rihanna/Maroon 5 mash up, in a very revealing costume] What were you up to whilst Steps took their break from music?
    Well, I’ve always been big on fitness, when you sing, dance and act you have to stay in shape. I was performing in Theatres, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival but I did spend a lot of time as a celebrity fitness trainer.

    Are you all as close as we remember?
    Yes, we all stayed quite close anyway, but we’re having as much fun as ever! We’ve all grown up, and have our families – we’ve definitely matured but Steps will always be Steps.

    Do you have a venue you’re looking forward to in particular? I should add here Lee; I’m devastated you’re not returning to Newcastle!
    [Laughing] I’m not looking forward to a single venue; I’m looking forward to them all! Steps fans are the best fans EVER! They’re wild! They know all of our routines, they sing and dance as much as we do, and it’s an incredible feeling being on stage in front of them. We do say, though, the further North we go, the louder the audience gets!
    I want to know, what are your favourite songs to perform?

    Old material:
    One for Sorrow and Deeper Shade of Blue are massive Steps anthems! Our fans absolutely adore them, and then, of course, there’s Tragedy – everyone knows the lyrics and the routine! It’s as popular now as it ever was.

    New material:
    There’s a track on our new album, called: “History is made at night”, and personally, I think that’s where the future of Steps lies.

    And now Lee, I’ve got some questions from our readers…
    When will you do an album with Xenomania?I think it’s important that we deliver our Light Up The World album to our fans first, we want them to enjoy it, and I can’t wait to interact with the fans again, but who knows what the future holds?

    Where do you see yourselves in two years time?
    We’re focused totally on this album and the tour. Once we’ve given it all to our fans, then we’ll decide what happens next! Watch this space…

    What is the material like on the new album, are all of the songs Christmas?
    No, it’s a festive themed album, but it’s not all Christmas Carols, there are songs on there that we think are Christmassy, you’ll have to wait and see!

    What does the ‘H’ stand for in Ian ‘H’ Watkins?
    His mother gave him the H, but I know what you’d all like it to stand for…Horny?

    You know our readers too well Lee! And finally…  Do you think Steps are ready to take on the world?
    The world? Who knows! What I do know is Steps are totally committed to our fans, we wouldn’t be who we are or where we are without the support they’ve given us over the last fifteen years. It was the fans that brought us back together, so if the world is ready for us, we’re ready to give it 100%!

     

    Steps will be taking their Light Up The World tour to six UK cities; they will be visiting Plymouth, Sheffield, London, Manchester, Glasgow and Wolverhampton. For more information on the tour, dates and to purchase tickets, visit: http://www.stepsofficial.co.uk
    Light Up The World is on sale from 12th November 2012. Don’t forget to go out and grab yourself a copy! Perfect as a Christmas gift, or a little treat for yourself Let us know if you’re going to one of the tour dates, or what you think of the new album! You can tweet me direct @NKMackley or with the hash tag #TGUKSteps

    TheGayUK wishes the guys at Steps the best of luck with the tour and their new material, stay tuned for our Steps album review coming to you very soon…

  • STEP Announces UK Tour

    STEPS, who sung their way to success in the 90s along with their dance routines and catchy lyrics, are reuniting for a 6 date mini UK city-centre tour in December 2012.

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  • Steps Release Light Up The World

    Camp mega band Steps officially released their brand new single Light Up The World.

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