The pop group Steps celebrates 25 years of collaboration (Picture: PA)
It’s not easy to make a word as the five members of the ultimate feel-good pop group Steps – Claire Richards, Lee Latchford Evans, Faye Tozer, Ian “H” Watkins and Lisa Scott Lee – reunite on Zoom . You can feel the love through the ether! H beams from her garden, Claire appears to be in her living room, Faye and Lee are in their respective offices while Lisa is in Dubai, where she is now based.
And they know that together they are a little difficult. “There’s no point in you just asking a question that we should all answer,” H admits. You will have to ask us individually.
Noted! But then this band started together 25 years ago, which is a damn long time.
Especially in the music business where many bands break up – usually acrimoniously – after several years.
There was of course a split in 2001 after four years when H and Claire left to form a duo, leaving the other three out in the cold.
However, the quintuple reunited again in 2011 – a reunion that was shown in a four-part “warts and all” TV documentary in which they cleared the air and voiced their respective grievances.
In the years that followed, they released new material as a reunited group and toured extensively domestically and abroad while pursuing solo projects.
Faye reached the final of Strictly Come Dancing in 2018 and has performed in several musicals. Lisa runs a performing arts school in Dubai. H has also walked the stage in musical theater and competed in Dancing on Ice 2020, Lee has qualified as a personal trainer and involved in music management, and Claire has a solo recording career. .
Band Members: Lisa Scott-Lee, Ian Watkins, Claire Richards, Faye Tozer and Lee Latchford (Picture: PA)
“It wasn’t an easy time,” Lisa says, referring to the split. “But being in Steps turned out to be a lot like being in a long marriage. You have your ups and downs, your ups and downs.
“But you try to solve your problems. We did it – and now we’re well and truly back on track.”
“We have been for a few years and it is worth celebrating.”
And celebrating is exactly what they’re doing with the release next week of The Platinum Collection album to celebrate their 25th anniversary.
“We’ve been playing festivals throughout the summer and will continue to do so until mid-September,” adds Lisa.
“Looking back, I think it’s lucky the split happened. We would never be here today as a band if we hadn’t.
“Time apart meant we did other things, grew a bit and experienced life. The kind of issues that bothered us over 20 years ago don’t seem so important now that we all have quarantine and that we have children.
Steps members say they’ve had their ups and downs but they’re still strong together (Image: Getty)
Faye, who has combined her career with raising her 14-year-old son, Benjamin, agrees.
“We are definitely more understanding and tolerant of each other,” she says. “I think we are as better than ever.”
“At first, we were seen as some kind of novelty band and we worked really hard to get rid of that. Novelty bands don’t last as long as we do.”
“We’ve released Greatest Hits compilations before, but The Platinum Collection includes singles we’ve released since our reformation.”
“There are also two new numbers on the album, including our latest single Hard2Forget.”
So, what do they remember from their first meeting in 1997, after having all responded to an ad in the Stage newspaper?
“I was quite shy at the time and very nervous,” Claire recalls.
“During the audition, I vaguely remember talking about cushions and upholstery for some reason – I don’t know why.”
“Faye sang after me and I remember thinking she stood out. I also made the mistake of thinking H was very cool!
“Me too,” Lee laughs. ” I did not know ! I remember walking into the audition room and seeing this dark-haired girl in an orange dress — it was Lisa.”
“I remember Faye’s blonde curls and the shiny pants she wore.”
“She was alone while I was with college mates and I invited her to hang out with us. Claire was wearing a blue jumpsuit and she drove me home.”
“I pictured Lee’s pants as soon as I saw them,” H confesses. “But I wasn’t officially ‘out’ then, so I didn’t tell him.”
“Phew!” quips Lee. “I’m very glad you didn’t!”
“There was definitely something that brought us all together from the start,” adds Lisa.
Steps will release their album The Platinum Collection (Picture: PA)
Faye agrees: “A kind of magic or chemistry. It’s like it was meant to be. But never, ever, would I have imagined that a quarter of a century later, we would still be playing together and releasing new material.
Over 25 years, there were bound to be some vivid memories of their time together. For Faye, it was their first big gig after the breakup.
“We were in our positions under the arena stage before crossing the floor,” she recalled. “We were all laughing and joking – so excited that we were doing this again. We couldn’t believe it. It was nerve wracking but so exciting and the start of a brilliant new chapter.
Claire’s fondest memory dates back to a Steps Mark 1 moment.
“It was the first time we played at Wembley,” she said. “I had worked there as a steward when I was a teenager and I swore that one day I would perform there.
“For this first concert, my former supervisor who was still working there left me a team T-shirt and a note telling me what time the stewards’ briefing was! She also said how proud she was of me!
Footsteps always perform high energy shows (Image: Getty)
“There are so many great memories,” Lee muses. “The first time we toured overseas, receiving our Brit Awards…”
“For me, it was having our kids on stage with us at one of the arena concerts last year,” H said. “Lisa’s two teenagers, Claire’s two, Benjamin de Faye and my twins, who are six now. What a moment it was!
“It made me so proud and I realized how far we would have all come.”
Lee is a dad now too. “Hopefully he’ll be able to raise his one-year-old onstage at some point and we can recreate that moment again,” adds H. “Maybe wait until he’s a little older before doing baby Pas,” Lee laughs.
Steps may be all in their 40s now, but you would never have thought of watching them play their high-energy two-hour show.
It seems that once they do their thing on stage, they become younger again.
“It’s like we’re in our early twenties again,” Claire explains, “although we’re older, wiser, and more understanding of each other. We play on each other’s strengths – and weaknesses.
“I’m probably the most organized, H is probably the funniest – at least he thinks he is, and Lee is the one who forgets the dance moves!”
“I was just reading about it the other day,” Lisa adds.
“Apparently psychologists say that when you become famous, you mentally stay at the age you were when it first happened.
“It works for me. I was 21 and I really feel like I’m 21 again when we play. I still have the same energy which is lucky because I’m wearing 10 heels cm!
So what are the chances that Steps will still be together in 25 years?
Lee doesn’t rule it out!
“We have an amazing fanbase with new people coming to our music all the time, a catalog that’s coming back strong, we’re releasing new material and having a fabulous time on stage. . . why not continue to do so?
Steps Platinum Collection Releases August 19 (Image: Getty)
So, speaking of this catalog, what is their favorite Steps song? Surprisingly, their greatest hits Tragedy and Stomp are not seen.
“A Deeper Shade of Blue,” says H. “It’s the ultimate Steps song.”
Faye’s favorite comes from the Steps Mark 2 era. “It’s Scared of the Dark,” she says. “It’s like our comeback anthem and was written especially for us to mark the occasion.”
“The Last Thing on My Mind is really special to me,” Claire reveals. “It’s a cover from 1998 but marks the beginning of our transition to new music.”
“I agree with all of the above,” Lisa says. “We’re lucky to have an amazing back catalog, but I really don’t think Summer of Love is getting the recognition it deserves.”
And Lee? “It’s such a difficult choice to make but I think What the Future Holds, with its lyrics ‘One foot in the past and one foot in the future’, sums us up really well!”
- Steps Platinum Collection Releases August 19
