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All together now, 5,6,7,8... Yes, it’s official. Ten years after the success of Gold, and their subsequent split, nineties poptarts Steps have reformed, to the delight of thousands of now twenty-something fans. With the likes of ‘One For Sorrow’, ‘Tragedy’ and ‘5,6,7,8’, Lee Latchford-Evans, Claire Richards, Lisa Scott-Lee, Faye Tozer and Ian Watkins are preparing to take to the stages of London’s O2 Arena, Manchester MEN and other prestigious venues alike.
After ten years apart and a variety of career paths, ranging from pantomime roles and stints on Celebrity Big Brother to running their own fitness magazines, Steps have confirmed that now is the right time for a reunion. Sky Living’s Steps to Stardom, aired on September 28th, chronicled the reformation of the band, including the awkward moment when the band were reunited in the same room for the first time in ten years.
Of course it has not all been plain-sailing. Over the years the group have suffered at the hands of hard-hitting headlines, which deemed Lee a xenophobe over a misunderstood quotation about asylum seekers, and mocked Claire about her erratic weight gain. Recently, gossip magazines even alleged there has been bitching between Lisa and Claire over the lead singing role.
Such allegations beg the question just why are the band getting back together? “Cos it’s ten years!” retorts Claire, indignant at the suggestion of a lucrative career move. After the success of Take That's revival, it is no wonder that Steps want to re-live the magic. It is undeniable that Steps were very successful, not simply for their reliance on cheesy pop covers for top ten hits (see Bananarama’s ‘Last Thing on My Mind’ and Diana Ross’ ‘Chain Reaction’) but for other chart-toppers such as 'Heartbeat' and '5,6,7,8' as well as number one albums Step One and Steptacular.
The greatest indicator of their success and surprising longevity is, however, their most recent number one album, The Ultimate Collection. As two fingers to all cynics, this could indeed be the proof that a Steps reunion may be just the kind of shake-up that the music industry needs. And if not, then what harm could a reminder of strutting your cowgirl schtick in school discos be?
Should Steps be as successful as Take That, with or without Robbie, then I certainly wish them the very best of luck. Should their days be as numbered as the Spice Girls, however, then kudos to them for trying to inject some nineties fun back into the Ed Sheeran-laden charts of today. After all, following the news of Westlife’s split hitting the headlines this week, we're all need of cheesy band in our lives.
All together now...Tragedy...
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