After five years away from the limelight, Steps are back! The nineties chart toppers Clare Richards, Lisa Scott Lee, Faye Tozer. Ian H Watkins and Lee Latchford-Evans famed for their tightly choreographed string of feel-good pop hits recently reunited after a five-year break and announces a tour to commemorate their 20th anniversary in the music business.
Tickets for Steps Cardiff show in November sold out within hours encouraging them to add a further date at the Motorpoint Arena in December. Steps also added further to their anniversary triumph by releasing a new album on their own label, Tears on The Dancefloor, which recently soared to number 2 on the album chart.
TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY: Steps
“What’s been incredible is that the tour sold out on the strength of our back catalogue,” Ian H Watkins recently told Andy Howells.
“Now people have downloaded the album and its done really well. It feels really good that we’ve been embraced with this tidal wave of love, it’s good to be back!”
H, 41, who was born in Llwynypia and is currently living near Cardiff is clearly excited about Steps anniversary success which also includes the release of a new single, Story of A Heart written by ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus.
“It’s kind of a lesser known ABBA track,” says H, “It wasn’t ABBA singing on the record but it’s as close to an ABBA track as you can get. We wanted to pay homage to ABBA because everyone compares us to them and it’s kind of the perfect fit on the album.”
“Here we are, loud and proud, if you like it, great join in!” – Ian H Watkins of Steps.
The single is accompanied by a video which features Steps making throwback references to their 20-year pop career as well as performing customary dance moves which fans have taken to their hearts over the last twenty years.
“We didn’t want to come back and pretend to be something that we’re not,” continues H, “We’re Steps at the end of the day and we’re going to embrace it. We’ve gone “Here we are, loud and proud, if you like It, great, join in!”
Steps are currently making plans for the forthcoming tour which sees them perform at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena on November 29 and December 10 and as H reveals, the expectations will be high.
“I think we’ve made a kind of rod for our own back,” he laughs, “every tour that we’ve done has got bigger and better with more sets and the most recent technology so we’re going to have to try and top the last one we did which I though was incredible. Visually it will be a feast, it’s going to be one massive party whatever happens.”