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.

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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.

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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%!