When it comes to touring, Steps know how to put on a bloody good show. H once scaled arenas up and down the country on a, um, giant letter 'H' while performing a cover of ABBA's Lay All Your Love on Me, for crying out loud. That's how high the bar's been set.
So thank the pop Gods H, Lisa Scott-Lee, Lee Latchford-Evans, Faye Tozer, Claire Richards have collectively saved 2020 with the announcement of their brand-spankin'-new album What the Future Holds and a load of tour dates to boot. Hoorah.
With the band dropping their Sia-penned banger of a new single this week, we just had to catch up with 'em (from a two-and-a-bit-metre distance) to get all the goss on what we can expect from the show; and it sounds like we're in for a treat.
Chatting exclusively to heatworld at London's fancy The Leaf & Cane, Lisa teased, "2021 is the year of the party."
"The pressure’s on for us. We set the bar high for ourselves each year and ask ‘how are we going to top the last one?’ But that’s the excitement – we all love brainstorming ideas. It inspires us."
H simply added, "I like to top."
Thanks for that insight, H. We had wondered.
Asked how they'll manage to make the show bigger and better (aside from the fact actual Sophie Ellis-Bextor's joining them on the road, SCREAM), Claire said: "With new material there’s scope to do more. We already know what our stage looks like and it’s different. We’re already excited."
"We’re so privileged because we have such an incredible back catalogue," H added. "It’s going to be hit after hit."
So how do a group like Steps - with quite frankly the best back catalogue of all time - even go about deciding what gets chopped from the setlist?
"It's basically going to be a four-hour show," said Lee. Something we can only pray isn't a joke.
Lisa explained: "That’s one of the hardest things when we sit down to plan the show. It’s such a lovely problem to have, but it’s so hard thinking which to include and which we don’t have time for.”
"Also, the fans always tell us what they want and what we’ve missed," Faye chipped in. "We have to be really careful to give the audience what they want but also introduce the new stuff."
If you fancy seeing Steps live next year (which, of course, you do) you might want to head along to one of these venues on one of these dates. You might just get lucky.
Nov 2 – Sheffield, FlyDSA Arena
Nov 3 – Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena
Nov 5 – Birmingham, Resorts World Arena
Nov 8 – Newcastle, Utilita Arena
Nov 11 – Manchester, AO Arena
Nov 13 – Aberdeen, P&J Live
Nov 15 – Belfast, SSE Arena
Nov 18 – Liverpool, M&S Bank Arena
Nov 19 – Leeds, First Direct Arena
Nov 22 – Glasgow, The SSE Hydro
Nov 25 – Brighton, Centre
Nov 26 – London, The O2
Nov 29 – Cardiff, Motorpoint Arena
Dec 1 – Bournemouth, International Centre
Tickets available here. Steps' new single is OUT NOW, with the What the Future Holds album released on November 27th 2020. Can't ruddy wait, mate.