Pop act putting best foot forward at Marquee
BRITISH pop act Steps are the latest act annuonced to headline Live at the Marquee in Cork this summer. Earlier this week, the group, which features Ian ‘H’ Watkins, Claire Richards, Faye Tozer, Lee Latchford-Evans and Lisa Scott-Lee, performed sell-out shows in Belfast and Dublin.
Newly-reformed after a ten-year hiatus, their Ultimate Tour supports the release of their Ultimate Collection album of hits.
Much has changed since Steps debuted in the 1990s. Over five years from 1998 they released Step One, Steptacular and Buzz — and numerous singles and music videos. Now, like so many contemporary acts, they use social networking to keep in touch with their fans, and their tour is being documented by Sky Living for the second instalment of the reality television show that has helped boost their profile.
Being back on the tour circuit has not revived the old tensions that led to Steps falling apart in the first place. “It hasn’t been hard at all, really,” says H, the most vocal of the group. “It’s taken us all by surprise: we’ve ironed out our differences and issues, and put all that behind us. We’re looking to the future now.”
The Live at the Marquee show will not just be a rehash of their greatest hits, says H. All the sequences have been picked over meticulously. “We’ve put a few modern twists on things and updated our stuff so it’s not stuck in the ‘90s. We’ve had a makeover.” H adds they’ve had botox, before laughing it off as a joke.
Steps’ original fans have been out in force for their concerts, but they have surprised the group by bringing their children along, too.
“Judging by last night’s audience,” says H, “I think everyone is here for nostalgia — as we are too, I guess. But then we were surprised to see how many kids were in the audience. They love it for the fact that it’s really easy music and it’s fun to jump around to and that’s all it is.”
Faye, famous for her trademark dreadlocks, explains what the band loves about Ireland: “The people. They are always fantastic audiences and they’re always really receptive when we come here.”
The social scene in Ireland raises a group cheer. “You always have great pubs and have a passion for music,” says Faye.
No strangers to Cork, Steps are looking forward to their Live at the Marquee appearance. “It’ll be very exciting,” says H. “We haven’t done this sort of summer gig for years. We are doing an arena tour at the moment, so Live at the Marquee is going to be different, obviously.”
The members of Steps have not been idle in their time off touring. Faye has treaded the boards in Cork Opera House: “I spent a week there when I did a musical theatre tour.”
Lee is the dark-haired male heart-throb in the group, and receives a roar from the crowd each time he takes centre stage. When Steps split up he established a fitness company which has used clever marketing to negotiate placement deals with the gossip magazines.
Lisa embarked on a solo career, while H and Claire released some duets before going their separate ways. H more recently braved the world of reality TV by entering the Big Brother house.
Claire is the best-known member of Steps. Her voice is outstanding, and she has had the most variation in terms of work, including a spot of opera. She is more memorable again for her appearances on daytime TV, where she has become a figurehead for people struggling with their body image.
Being ten years older than when they last toured has meant that Steps will be rated on their ability to keep up with the dance moves that made them famous. Each song Steps released was accompanied by a distinctive choreographed dance routine in the music video. The audience have been practising their moves and expect the same energetic live show they attended in the past. Steps promise not to disappoint.
“I think this show is bigger and better,” says Lee. ”We’re dancing even more than we did ten years ago. We’re singing more than we did ten years ago in our live show. I think we’ve just thrown ourselves in the deep end and hopefully the audience will love it and appreciate it because we’re all loving it right now. We are tired but we’re loving it.”
Steps are happy to contend with their jam-packed schedule in the months ahead. They plan to complete their summer tour before considering all the offers of work on the table.
The group have been asked to write songs for another album. But composition has never really been their forte. “We’re not planning on writing anything at the moment,” says H.
But never say never. “We’ve got lots of inspiration,” he concedes. “We’ve got lots of stories to tell.”
* Steps play Live at the Marquee on Friday, Jul 6.
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