01.09.01
STEPS ILLUMINATE BLACKPOOL

STEPS have switched on the Blackpool Illuminations which organisers described as the boldest and best display ever.
CLAIRE, FAYE, H, LEE and LISA were cheered on by tens of thousands of fans in Talbot Square as they lit up six miles of lights along the town's Promenade.
The group was joined by Emma Bunton, Marti Pellow and Lisa Stansfield, and Swedish duo Roxette.
STEPS' LEE said it was a great thrill to switch on the Illuminations.
"I used to go to Blackpool as a child and have really happy memories of the town," he said.
"It's a great place to have a good time."
Eight million people are expected to visit Blackpool to see the display, which lasts until November 4.
The Blackpool Illuminations began in 1879 when just eight arc lamps were lit on the Promenade.
This year's display cost 2.4 million and includes almost 500,000 light bulbs.
(ananova.com)

STEPS' STAR CHAT

THE girls from Steps answered many a male fantasy by squeezing into clinging
nurses' uniforms in the saucy video for their new single.

Tottering in high heels and showing off rock-my-world cleavage with plunging
necklines, Claire, Lisa and Faye sent red-blooded men's temperatures
soaring.

And it worked with their fellas at home too, Claire revealed in our
exclusive webchat.

Sara Vinall asked: What's with the nurses' outfits? I hope there's nothing
kinky behind it!

Claire replied: "We all had the most amazing bras underneath. They were
inflatable and we had them pumped up to the max. They made everything meet
in the middle believe me.

"And we've kept them too. All our boyfriends wanted us to take the outfits
home."

We had literally hundreds of mails from all over the world after our webchat
appeared on the official Steps website at www.stepsofficial.com.

Adge asked: Is it true that you're not going to try to crack America and
instead concentrate on your British, European and Asian fans instead?

Lee replied: "Ask the record company. We don't have control over the market.
I'd love to go back to America personally, but to make it there you need to
go for a good six months, but we're all prepared to do it."

Can any of you play instruments and if so what? Kayley Hedges, Merthyr
Tydfil, Wales.

Lisa: "I play the piano and I can read music. I write my own music too. You
never know you might see me playing on stage although I am a little bit
rusty."

Usually when a group releases their greatest hits album, the group splits up
afterwards. Is that the case for Steps? Alan McNab

Lisa: "No, not at all. All our singles have been top 10 and it seemed like a
good time to put those on an album. It's the start of a new chapter. We're
keeping a very open mind for the future but wouldn't want to go too far away
from what we are doing now because we wouldn't like to lose our fans."

What is Lisa's natural hair colour? Chris Daly.

Lisa: "It's dark brown/black. I've had my natural colour for the last few
months. I quite like being au naturelle."

I would like to know which is your favourite single of all of your albums?
Emma Louise Tempest.

Lee: "My fave single is The Way You Make Me Feel because it's produced well,
it's easy to sing and the fans like it."

Would any of the band ever consider a solo career and follow the route that
the Spice Girls and Boyzone have done? Joe Bayley

Lisa: "We'd all love to carry on in this business and in Steps. Personally
I'd like to go solo one day but I'd still do pop because of the fans - not
heavy metal or anything."

I'm not really confident person, and you guys look so confident on TV, I
thought maybe you can give me a tip, on how to raise my self-confidence. Did
you ever got the feeling of not belonging because I have it all the time.
Kate from Israel

Lisa: "If you're not a naturally confident person you can always blag it. If
you seem to be confident people will have confidence in you. I've always
been confident and I don't think I be here without it. It pushes you
forward. So be positive and smile - it makes you look confident."

Claire, was it a hard decision to speak out about your experience with
breast cancer in the News of the World and why did you use your position to
raise awareness? Kay Puddington.

Claire: "It was a very hard thing to do to talk about it. I wanted to put my
story and the correct story. Luckily there was nothing wrong. I'd like to be
able to think that I could help people. The number of women with breast
cancer is rising. We have to give something back and this was my chance. My
mum had a scare last year and that raised my awareness and made me go to the
doctor. It's very important that young women are taught to check their
breasts from a young age."

Who has helped you through the really tough moments of being in Steps? Julie
from Edinburgh.

Clare: "The five of us and our families. We have really supportive families
and we're lucky we all stick together."

You have conquered so much with Steps but do you still have any goals you
would like to achieve? Cheryl Riley, Edinburgh

Faye: "As Steps, just being here still is amazing but our big goal is to
have another album and tour. I didn't realise we'd last as long as we have
and all we can say is thank you to the fans."

Who looks the scariest in the morning and whose hair takes the longest to
do? Aaron and Stacey Tonks.

Claire: "H always looks quite scary with a hat and sunglasses on, depends
how early it is... With us girls, it depends what we're having done. A
complicated style like Faye's braiding takes ages. Among the five of us we
don't care what we look like any more."

Faye: "H can be the scariest because it takes him a while to wake up. He
likes to leave it the longest. The girls do lots of different make up and it
can take up to an hour and a half to do my hair."

If you had the key to any room in the world where would you go? Claire
Brooks from Southend-on-Sea.

Faye: "Madonna's wardrobe. She's far too small for me to try her things on
and my feet are bigger than hers but I love her style. She's constantly
changing her look and there would be loads of designer gear in there."

Did H keep with his New Year's resolution and get a six pack? David Carr,
York.

H: "I'm still working on it. I shall reveal all at a later date. Things are
shaping up. I've just got the one at the moment but I've just had a gym put
in my house. My brother helps me work out because he's done courses in
fitness and was a PE teacher."

Three questions. How many pairs of trainers does H own? What is the weirdest
present a fan has sent him? What has been the best moment of your life so
far? Gemma Marks, Essex.

H: "I collect trainers and sunglasses and I have about 30 pairs of trainers.
For our different stage outfits, some of them are customised. Sometimes I
wear them out but I don't want to be seen wearing studded trainers to
church!

"My weirdest present was from Japan when a fan handed me a beautiful box and
when I opened it there were black plastic cockroaches inside. Apparently
they're a sign of good luck and I've still got them.

"My best moment was when I learned to walk the tightrope 30 feet high. I
crossed it and didn't fall off. I had worked so hard when I was younger and
appeared in a musical called Barnum when I had had to learn circus skills. I
learnt to juggle and I am thinking of doing something with that on the next
tour."

Does Gold spell the beginning of a more grown-up Steps and writing their own
songs? Katrin, Belgium.

H: "Our new single Chain Reaction is classic Steps but this is a closure of
this chapter. Who knows where the future leads. We've all been writing for
this album and we've all contributed."

Do you think people expect more of you now you're a popstar? Katie Lindop.

Faye: "Definitely. You have to be careful of what you do and what you say
because you're in the public eye. People know that we enjoy ourselves. You
get slightly paranoid to start off with but we're used to it now."
(News Of The World Online)


STEPPY STUFF

STEPS will be joining Chris Moyles on his radio how from 10am-1pm today so tune in for that.

STEPS' No.1 single 'Stomp' (radio edit and w.i.p. mix) has been used as the opening titles music on ITV's rich and famous programme so keep an ear out for that!
(Thanks to Nick and Gareth)


02.09.01
CLAIRE'S GETTIN' WIGGY WITH IT

CLAIRE STEPS revealed a novel and daring look when we met up with the guys a couple of week ago. The blonde bombshell has bought a short black wig that makes her almost unrecognisable!
CLAIRE said, "I haven't been brave enough to wear it out yet. But I will!"
(L&K Magazine)


THE GOLD TOUR ON VIDEO

Yesterday when the band joined Chris Moyles on his Radio 1 show FAYE revealed that the forthcoming Gold Tour will be televised (almost certainly on pay per view at Sky Boxoffice) and will be released on video!
Throughout the show STEPS just basically had a laugh at themselves with CLAIRE claiming she looked like the woman from the Specs Savers advert in the Chain Reaction video and H declaring that showing a bit of cleavage sells more records!
They did however also confirm that the Tony Moran mix of One For Sorrow would be a B side on Chain Reaction.


STEPPY STUFF

STEPS are at No.1 this week with Chain Reaction on the Smash Hits TV video chart!

Don't forget that Chain Reaction has been added to most local radio stations play lists now, so get ringing or mailing your local station to request it!

We'll be putting the time of our last news update on the main page from now on so that if we have news later in the day it can be added and you'll know we've updated the site further...


03.09.01
FREE TICKETS

Fancy having a wicked night out tonight, for free?
Well, if you can get down to Brixton Academy in London you can come along to a live concert which we're headlining. There will be 100 tickets that we're going to give to the first people that can get down there, so please be aware it is first come first served.
The show's called 'Music 2001'. It would be best to get there early at around 6pm, then simply go to the Booking Office and ask for your free tickets to the event. Other acts that will be performing are Sugababes, Bond, Lisa Roxanne, Swing Out Sister and Bellefire. We hope to see you tonight! It's gonna be a blast!!
(stepsofficial.com)


STEPS BACK TO SCHOOL - CLAIRE

As a lot of STEPS fans will be returning to school this week, we've decided to see what STEPS say about their school days.
In the first part of the series we look at what CLAIRE says:

What's the naughtiest thing you did at school?
'I was a bit of a goody-two shoes at school, but one day I went out with my mates at lunchtime to get some chips without a lunch pass. My friends used to do it every day, but I did it once and got caught.'

What was your fave/least fave subject at school?
'My favourite subject was P.E, and I really liked pottery. But I hated R.E and I never saw the point of it.'

Who was your best mate at school?
'I had diferent ones all the time. I used to change every year and hang out with different people so I didn't have a proper best friend.'

Where did you used to hang out with your mates?
'At the tennis club at Brunel University. We'd all play tennis, then get bored and watch the boys playing football!'


STEPPY STUFF

The Gold Greatest Hits album will be available from 15th October and will be available on CD,MC,DVD and VHS.
The DVD and VHS will feature STEPS promo videos from 5,6,7,8 up to the Christmas single Word Are Not Enough.

The canadian version of Buzz is now in stores. It has the same tracklisting as the US version and contains the bonus trak Mars And Venus(We Fall In Love Again)
Canadian TV stations are planning an hour long STEPS special charting the rise of th band in the UK and previewing some of their promo videos to Canadian fans. More details on this as we get them.


04.09.01
LEE SNUBS MADONNA

STEPS star LEE LATCHFORD-EVANS seems to be getting a little big for his boots. He tells TOTP magazine: "I had the chance to see Madonna but I couldn't be bothered as it was the other side of London. To be honest, we've seen everything there is to see."
(The Mirror)


CLAIRE'S PUPPY LOVE

STEPS had the bright idea of flying in by helicopter when they appeared in Oxford, but they were soon regretting it when they had had to fly through a thunderstorm. "Thank God we're here" laughed H, "I didn't like that one bit." CLAIRE's dancer boyfriend was there to meet her and it seems theres a new addition to their family - a little puppy!
(Smash Hits.net)


STEPS BACK TO SCHOOL - FAYE

As a lot of STEPS fans will be returning to school this week, we've decided to see what STEPS say about their school days.
In the second part of the series we look at what FAYE says:

What's the naughtiest thing you did at school?
'When I was 7 I got caught in the junior toilets with my back against one cubicle wall, and my legs against the other, and I was climbing to the top. The headmistress made me and my friends clean the toilet walls down!'

What was your fave/least fave subject at school?
I didn't like History and Geography, but I really liked art and drama.

Who was your best friend?
I started school a year early so I had to be kept down a year when I was 8. So until then my best friend was Jenny Swain, then when I changed it was Lisa Valentine.

Where did you used to hang out with your mates?
'Anywhere I could get away with!'


STEPPY STUFF

STEPS will be on Popworld tonight at 5.00pm for more detalis check the diary page.
(Thanks to Gareth)

I've added some brand new STEPS e-cards to the Interactive fun page so check them out. Keep checking the What's New page for updates to the site!


05.09.01
STEPS BACK TO SCHOOL - LEE

As a lot of STEPS fans will be returning to school this week, we've decided to see what STEPS say about their school days.
In the third part of the series we look at what LEE says:

What's the naughtiest thing you did at school?
'Probably breaking a window. I had a habit of doing that whenever I was playing football.'

What was your fave/least fave subject at school?
'I really liked CDT because I got to make things like video cabinets, but I didn't like anything boring!'

Who was your best friend?
'I didn't have one particular friend, I just had a gang that hung round Seymour Drive where I lived. A guy called Simon Grisdale became a good friend from 14 onwards.'

Where did you used to hang out with your mates?
'On the football field having a kick around. Also, my parents used to let me and my friends have the house to ourselves every Saturday night. They'd go out for a drink and they'd put bin bags around for rubbish, and let us watch videos and stuff.'


VOTE STEPS

Over at www.smashhits.net the Sexiest Person In Pop vote is still going strong. Unfortunately the gorgeous LEE has been eliminated now and the ever so sexy CLAIRE wasn't nominated for some extremely strange reason!
Anyway the other three lovelies, H, LISA and FAYE are all going strong!
The results so far are that H is No.17 in the boys catergory, LISA is No.5 in the girls catergory and FAYE is No.7 in the girls catergory. Head over there now and get voting!


FAYE AND JASPER ON THE RIGHT TRACK

Remember last month how we told you how the gorgeous FAYE and her fiance Jasper Irn had taken part in the British 10k Run for charity. Well now you can watch exclusive interviews with FAYE and Jasper on the day of the race...

Click here to watch FAYE and Jasper...

06.09.01
STEPS BACK TO SCHOOL - H

As a lot of STEPS fans will be returning to school this week, we've decided to see what STEPS say about their school days.
In the fourth part of the series we look at what H says:

What's the naughtiest thing you did at school?
'I did lot's of naughty things at school, but the naughtiest thing I did was at home. We had a tank full of lovely fish like angel fish and tiger barbs, and I bought a terrapin and put in the tank and it ate all the fish! My mum went up the wall.'

What was your fave/least fave subject at school?
'I loved art, but I hated P.E and having to play football. I once scored an own goal and I was so unpopular. Mind you I liked swimming because I was a Welsh champion!'

Who was your best friend?
'I had lots, but my best friend now id=s called Billie and I've known her bout seven years.'

Where did you used to hang out with your mates?
'I was a member of an amateur theatre company so I used to go there a lot.'


NOMINATE A FRIEND FOR BIGGEST STEPS COMP

We've got a rather cool competition for you to take a look at:
Nominate a friend to win STEPS Merchandise - but don't tell them as the best entries will receive a surprise phone call from members of the band! To nominate a friend just e-mail us your name and a contact telephone number, your friend's name, age and where they live and finally tell us why they are the biggest STEPS fan ever!!!
So, if you think your friend is the biggest STEPS fan in the world and deserves to win send an email with Phone Call Comp in the subject to us at - webmaster@STEPSofficial.com. Remember to keep it a secret!
(STEPSOfficial)


GET CHAIN REACTION ON YOUR PHONE

If you'd like to have Chain Reaction as your ring tone on your mobile phone ring 0906 227 0308 and quote code number 1402.
The average ringtone will cost around 2 Calls are 1 a min Check this months TOTP magazine for more details. Or mail mobilefun@iobox.com


STEPPY STUFF

This months TOTP magazine is Steptacular feast! Firstly there's a double page interview called Step Back In Time where the band talk about the good old days when STEPS were just starting out on their pop career - you can read that interview on our site by clicking on the link on the front page.

Also in the mag LEE rings up one of his fans for an amazing surprise they'll never forget and CLAIRE interviews Richie Neville of boy band Five.


STEPS INTERVIEW ON TOTP PLUS

Last Sunday STEPS were on BBC2's music show TOTP Plus. They chatted about Gold, which is apparently not a Greatest Hits album - well according to H it isn't!
And LISA told all about the sauciness that went on during the filming of the Chain Reaction video, including H pulling her top down to reveal more cleavage! To see this interview click the link below.

Click here to watch the STEPS TOTP interview...

07.09.01
H AND CERYS STEP OUT

Catatonia's Cerys Matthews made her first public appearance since leaving booze rehab - at a showbiz bash.
The Welsh rocker told me at the screening of American Pie 2: "I'm feeling much better."
CERYS went along with her unlikely new best pal, H WATKINS from STEPS.
(The Sun)


STEPS PREVIEW CHRISTMAS SINGLE

STEPS are to perform a new track, Words Are Not Enough, at the CBBC Prom in the Park.
The track is rumoured to be the group's Christmas single.
It will also feature on the group's greatest-hits collection Gold, which is released on October 15.
The CBBC Prom in the Park takes place on September 16 in London's Hyde Park.
(Ananova.com - thanks to Jenni)


STEPS FANS WANTED FOR TV SHOW

Sue from Channel X contacted me yesterday to ask for STEPS fans to take part in a brand new show for E4. The full details are below:
Are you 18 or over an outgoing person with friends who are also out going. Do you want to be on a brand new fan based comedy quiz show being produced for E4 then read on:
Channel X, the makers of Shooting Stars are looking for lively contestants for its exciting new comedy quiz show for fans of popular culture.
FAN-O-RAMA is to be recorded in London in October to be screened on E4 in the autumn.
FAN-O-RAMA is all about celebrities and their fans. We will take a look at the mad and bad behaviour of both, covering the stars of TV, Film and the pop world.
The show will have two teams lead by comedian team leaders. Each team contain two fans who will battle it out to prove they are better fans than the fans in the other team. For example, Madonna fans versus Star Trek fans; Eastenders fans versus Robbie Williamss fans and so on.
STILL INTERESTED?
Then call Sue on 020 7 428 3977 Or e-mail Sue directly on sue.agyeman@channelx.co.uk you can also e-mail


STEPS BACK TO SCHOOL - LISA

As a lot of STEPS fans will be returning to school this week, we've decided to see what STEPS say about their school days.
In the last part of the series we look at what LISA says:

What's the naughtiest thing you did at school?
'When I was about 9 in junior school the headmaster sent this note to summon this boy, Barry, to his office. When the teacher was out of the room I got the note out of the bin and read it to the class, and the headmaster caught me. He shouted at me so much I nearly cried!'

What was your fave/least fave subject at school?
'My favourite was performing arts, and my least favourite was history because it was boring.'

Who was your best friend?
'A girl called Louise Jones who came to the STEPS auditions with me.'

Where did you used to hang out with your mates?
'Rhuddlan Castle in Wales. We used to go exploring in the dungeons and up the old staircases and everything. It was amazing. '


H AND CLAIRE REVEAL THEIR DODGY CRUSHES

More celeb crushes! CLAIRE and H from STEPS have revealed that they both had things for 80s pop stars.
CLAIRE really fancied Prince and H told Radio 1 about his love for Toyah: "I had loads of posters of Toyah. She was very weird. I loved her for being outrageous and experimental."
(Radio 1 Online)


STEPPY STUFF

STEPS will be on the Big Breakfast this morning from 7.00am.

STEPS were at the Sound Republic in London this week recording Chain Reaction for the Pepsi Chart. We'll keep you updated as to when it will be aired.

H was spotted with a mystery woman outsde the Titanic Bar this week.

H launched the 'Save the Children' Seriously Big Book at the Hayes Galleria in London this week.
(Thanks to Katie)

08.09.01
FAYE WILL WED LOVER NEXT YEAR

FAYE has confirmed that she will be marrying her lover Dutch record producer and pop star Jasper Irn sometime next year.
FAYE and Jasper who started dating before FAYE hit the big time with STEPS already live together and FAYE is set to become a step mum to Jasper's 13 year old daughter, Luna, from a previous relationship. LISA is also engaged to be married but says she's in no rush to settle down just yet and she and boyfriend JOHNNY will be waiting for a couple of years yet.


STEPS AT CD:UK

The early start to the day left STEPS feeling a little pooped. Worldpop caught up with the breathless band backstage after performing their new single, Chain Reaction, which is a cover of Disco Diva Diana Ross' Motown beauty. LISA told worldpop, 'It's a classic but hopefully we'll make it into a modern classic, I hope she'd like it'. We're sure she would!

After the show H from STEPS was seen in a bit of a sweaty fluster. But he soldiered on in worldpop's interview, dabbing his forehead fervently and sipping from a bottle of water.
(Worldpop)


FAYE TO SING SOLO

FAYE will be making her first ever appearance as a solo star at CBBC's Proms In The Park on Sunday 16th September.
FAYE, who is presenting the event alongside Blue Peter Presenter Matt, will take to the stage with a full orchestra to perform a solo song. It's not yet known what track FAYE will be singing or whether it will be a STEPS song such as 'If You Believe' or 'Since You Took Your Love Away' but one thing is for sure and that's that FAYE will be nothing less then simply show stopping!


STEPS AT CD:UK

The early start to the day left STEPS feeling a little pooped. Worldpop caught up with the breathless band member H who was dabbing his forehead fervently and sipping from a bottle of water.
(Worldpop)


CLAIRE NOT SET TO STEP UP AISLE

CLAIRE has denied rumours that she is engaged to marry her long term boyfriend, STEPS dancer Mark Webb, the beautiful blonde told yesterdays Big Breakfast that although they are very much together they have no plans to get married as yet!


STEPPY STUFF

The video for the Tony Moran remix of 'One For Sorrow' is now being shown on The Box, this will be because the track is being used as a b-side for 'Chain Reaction'

On Nickolodeon there is a STEPS competition to win a mini disc player and some STEPS gold stuff. The question is Which member of STEPS is the youngest? And you send your answers to Freepost Nickolodeon, Steps Comp.
(Thanks to Laura)


09.09.01
WE BELIEVE IN FAYE

FAYE will be singing 'If You Believe' at the CBBC Proms In The Park next sunday alongside the Royal Philamonic Orchestra, it's going to be a very big day for FAYE as it will be the first time she has performed solo , apart from on tour with STEPS, and she will be singing a song written by her own fair hand. We're sure she won't have any problems though and reckon she'll knock them dead!


STEPS FAN DAY UPDATE

The STEPS Fan Day at Lego Land a couple of weeks ago was a major hit and a good time was had by all, noit only that they managed to raise 80 for the Breakthrough Breast Cancer charity that CLAIRE supports.
David who organised the last day is already busy organising another STEPS Fan Day that will take place May 2002 and will tie in with STEPS 5th birthday. It is possible that the band themselves may even be there!


H AND CLAIRE DUET PETITION

If you watched the final of STEPS II The Stars earlier this year you will have seen the duet that H and CLAIRE performed. It was a cover of an old Eternal song called 'I Wanna Be The Only One' They also performed it on Live & Kicking. It was big hit with the fans and one of our team - Nick has decided to set up a petition to get it released as a b-side.
If you want to help his cause then simply click on the button to sign his petition!


RADIO REQUESTING

Don't forget that Chain Reaction will be released in 2 weeks time so it's really time to start pushing it now, all get requesting it to your local radio stations and ringing and mailing MTV, The Box and UK Play to get them to show the excellent video!


YOUR THOUGHTS

We're setting up a new reviews section of the site so if you want to review a STEPS Song or video or concert or whatever then get mailing us. You MUST mark your e-mail very clearly stating that you are sending a review and what you are reviewing. Send your reviews to stepshomeuk@aol.com


10.09.01
LEE STRIPS FOR SHELTER

LEE is busy promoting a charity day for Shelter to raise money for homeless people in the UK. The day called Strip 4 Shelter encourages people to donate 2 to be allowed to wear their fave football teams strip for work or school. This will all be taking place on Friday 14th September, to get more info and recieve an action pack visit www.strip4shelter.com or ring 0845 458 4590.


H HELPS A FRIEND

Cerys Matthews of Catatonia has spoken out about how H's support and friendship was instrumental in her recovery from drugs and alcohol addiction. Friends of the Welsh rocker say that H's love and friendship helped her immensly.


STEPS GIRLS BACK CANCER CAMPAIGN

Ten top British femal stars joined forces yesterday to raise cash for the fight against breast cancer.
They included This Morning presenter Twiggy, sixties singer Marianne Faithfu, STEPS stars CLAIRE RICHARDS, LISA SCOTT-LEE and FAYE TOZER, DJ Zoe Ball and model Jodie Kidd.
Dressed in white with bare feet, the women showed off thei cover girl class by posing for the front of the new edition of Pink Ribbon.
They were photographed by Mary McCartney, daughter of Linda, who died of the illness in 1998.
The glossy magazine raises money to help beat the disease that kills more than 13,000 women each year.
In May, CLAIRE RICHARDS was terrified when she found a lump, which turned out to be a benign fibroid cyst.
She says: "It doesn't matter how old you are, or how famous you are, cancer can come to anyone."
Zoe Ball urged women to do regular checks.
(The Mirror)


11.09.01
STEPS SHUN SOLO PROJECTS

In an exclusive interview with worldpop, STEPS have revealed that they have no intention of following the example of Boyzone and the Spice Girls by taking on solo careers, and have rubbished speculation that they are to split after the release of their greatest hits album Gold this year.'We haven't discussed doing solo stuff,' CLAIRE RICHARDS told worldpop. 'We've got a single coming out this month and one at Christmas and a big tour so we haven't got time for anything other than STEPS.' 'Our priorities are with STEPS,' continued FAYE TOZER. 'Every time I even think about a solo project, something bigger and better comes up within the band.'The group told worldpop they did not want to be put in a position where they had to choose between STEPS and a solo career. 'To be honest, I'm not sure how well doing both has worked for other people,' said CLAIRE 'When something's doing so well you shouldn't move on until the time's right,' added LEE LATCHFORD-EVANS. 'As long as STEPS goes I'm happy to stay with it, till the day it dies.'But if press rumours are to be believed that day could be coming sooner rather than later. What do STEPS say to the speculation that they will split after the release of the Gold album? 'We are NOT splitting up,' insisted LISA SCOTT-LEE. 'It's the end of the chapter but not the end of the book.' And if you want even more proof that pop's perkiest players have got a more dance routines in them yet, they're already working on their next album! 'We've all been writing songs for the next album,' said FAYE. 'LEE and I were in Sweden recently working with a production team there and we're all going to be spending lots of time on the album next year. In fact, the only split you're going to see in STEPS is when we all take solo holidays,' FAYE chuckled. STEPS' cover of Diana Ross's Chain Reaction is released on 24 September. STEPS Gold is out on 15 October.
(Worldpop)

12.09.01
Firstly we'd just like to convey our sadness at the terrible tragedies in the US at the moment. Our thoughts and sympathies are with the American nation.

LTD ED CLUB MIX CD

CD 2 in the 'Chain Reaction' set will be a limited edition Club Mix Edition and will include exclusive mixes of 'Chain Reaction' and 'One For Sorrow'.


FAYE TO DUET WITH WITH RUSSEL WATSON

Our FAYE will be an extremely busy bunny on Sunday! As well as presenting and performing a string of hits with the rest of STEPS and her very own solo 'If You Believe' the blonde beauty will also be joining Manchester born opera singer Russel Watson on stage at Proms In The Park to sing a duet!
You will be able to listen to the event on the radio more details on that as we get them. Plus BBC1 will be showing highlights of the show later in the year.


STEPS TV

STEPS will be returning to BBC1's saturday morning kids TV show Live & Kicking this week. Make sure you tune in to see them performing their new single 'Chain Reaction'.
Also being televised is the Disney Channel Kids Awards which are being held on 23rd September. STEPS will be performing at the event and hopefully will come home with an award!
Remember the Soccer Six footie tournament that happened in the summer. Well now you'll be able to see LISA, LEE and FAYE all reaching fever pitch as Trouble TV will be showing highlights of the games. For more details see the diary page!


STEPPY STUFF

The new issue of TV Hits magazine has it's pages packed with Steptacular goodies!
H is the cover star and on the back cover is a full page ad for 'Chain Reaction'
Inside STEPS reveal thier hopes for the future and have their tarot cards read (read this interview on our site by clicking the link on the front page!)
There's also a double poster of the fab five, some star advice from LISA and H gets crowned the Pop's Prince Of Wales! There's all that plus the usual features and it's out now.


LEE STEPS OUT AT PREMIERE

Never one to miss a film premiere, budding Hollywood actor, LEE LATCHFORD-EVANS stepped out at the UK opening of Tara Reid's new film 'Josie And The Pussycats' in London's Leicester Square on Monday night.

13.09.01
NEW DATE IN CARDIFF

Yet another date of the Gold Tour has been added in Cardiff. STEPS will also be appearing there on Friday 14th December.


CONCERT FOR UK TROOPS COULD BE OFF

The concert that STEPS were set to perform for British troops in Oman looks as though it could be cancelled. Due to the terrible tragedy that occured on Tuesday in the United States Of America all British troops are on stand by especially the troops in Oman who are in the Middle East.


STEPS AT DISNEY AWARDS

STEPS and Hear'Say are performing at this year's Disney Channel Kids Awards.
The show will also feature Atomic Kitten, Westlife and A1.
It takes place at London Docklands Arena on September 22.
Awards up for grabs on the day include Favourite Male Group, Favourite Female Group, Favourite TV Star and Favourite Soap.
Disney Channel favourites Jemma James, Emma Lee, James McCourt and Nigel Mitchell will host the event.
(ananova.com)


STEPS ARE A SMASH HIT

STEPS will be on Smash Hits radio from 2.00pm on Sunday. It's a pre recorded interview and can be caught on most large local radio stations.


14.09.01
YOU VOTE STEPS SEXIEST STARS EVER

As you will all know Smash Hits have been running a pole over the last few weeks to find out who you think are the top 100 sexiest popstars ever and STEPS have not surprisngly done extremely well! A speciall mention must go to the ever so gorgeous LISA who came third in the female poll! The results are as follows:
LISA 3rd
FAYE 7th
H 16th
LEE 32nd
To see the full results visit www.smashhits.net


UK STARS STRANDED IN THE US

Because the tragic circumstances in the US at the moment many stars have found themsleves stranded out there. Popstars Atomic Kitten and Blue were in New York filming new promo videos at the time of the tragedy and are said to be safe but extremely upset and shaken. sm:tv presenter Cat Deely and Ex Beatle Paul McCartnet were also in New York at the time and STEPS' label mates the Backstreet Boys are said to be distraught after it was revealed that one of their close friends was a passenger on one of the hijacked planes. If you would like to leave a message of condolence and sympathy for all those affected by this absolutely terrible tragedy then head over to www.thesun.co.uk and sign their online book of condolence.


STEPPY STUFF

Don't forget to be up nice and early to catch STEPS on L&K tomorrow morning!

There's a new edition of Talking Point up on the site today!

The third version of this site is underway so there'll be a few changes, but we're sure you''l like it when it's done.


15.09.01
STEPS CLOSE KIDS SHOW FOREVER

STEPS were among the last ever guests on BBC's veteran saturday morning kids show, Live & Kicking, this morning.
The beeb have axed the show due to poor viewing figures after they went head to head with Ant and Dec on ITV.
STEPS closed the show, whih has been on air for the last 8 years, by belting out their hit single 'It's The Way You Make Me Feel'. A new show hosted by Dani Behr and Joe Mace will be hitting our screens soon.


FAYE'S PROM INTERVIEW

As you already know FAYE will be extremely busy at tomorrow's proms which she will be presenting alongside Matt and Simon from Blue Peter. Now you can find out exactly what she'll be up to and what she thinks of the whole idea by watching this exclusive interview...

Click here to watch FAYE...

SCREAM FOR STEPS

Bosses at the Guinness Book of Records want to see which band has the noisiest fans. So they'll be putting "scream-o-meters" at concerts by STEPS and Hear'Say .
(The Sunday People)


NEW COMP

We've got a new competition to win a prmom copy of STEPS' new single 'Chain Reaction'
This competiton is only open to members of the STEPS Gold Club, all entries must be in by this Tuesday and you must only enter once!
All you have to do is answer this easy question: What was the highest chart postion in the UK that STEPS last single Here And Now/You'll Be Sorry reached?
Just send your answer to stepshomeuk@aol.com
We'll mail the winner on Wenesday morning. Good Luck.


17.09.01
YOU'LL BE SORRY SCRAPPED

STEPS have decided not to include their last hit single, 'You'll Be Sorry', on their Greatest Hits album. The move came because you are only allowed so many allocated spaces on a CD and they had to choose between 'You'll Be Sorry' and the new track 'Only In My Dreams' apparently the latter track is written by all five members so they made a joint decision to scrap 'You'll Be Sorry'. It will come as a dissapointment to many fans especially fans of H as it's the first STEPS single that he has taken full lead vocals on.


STEPS IN THEIR OWN WORDS

To accompany the alunch of their Graetest Hits album - Gold. STEPS will be releasing a new official book by the same name that will chart their success since they arrived on the UK music scene back in 1997. The book, which is written by FAYE, H, LISA, LEE and CLAIRE will be available to fans from Thursday 27th September.

18.09.01
SHOWTIME AT THE STADIUM

A live concert has just been announced called Showtime @ The Stadium.
It's being held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, on Saturday the 20th of October at 7.30pm. It's a special show to celebrate songs from stage musicals. We'll be performing there with a huge list of major artists such as Blue, Atomic Kitten, A1, Damage, Sinead O'Conner and many more.
Everyone that performs (including us!) will be performing songs from musicals backed by a symphony orchestra and a gospel choir. It's going to be simply amazing, we're very honoured to be a part of the line up at such an unmissable event. The concert will be recorded for BBC One and BBC Radio 2 in association with Red Hot AIDS Charitable Trust.
Tickets available now on 08705 582 582 or 08701 211 228. Tickets from 15 with a limited number of Family Tickets at 50 (2 adults + 2 children) and limited number of Gold Seats at 35 (these are selling fast!)
(STEPS Official)


STEPS SPELL FOR SUCCESS

It is being rumoured that STEPS' christmas single 'Words Are Not Enough' will be the title track to the new multi million pound Harry Potter film. If this is true then it almost certainly guarantees the band a huge number 1 hit single with the track and this could also be the gateway for them break worldwide including the lucrative US market.
The film which is due out mid November in the UK is set to rake in millions as Harry Potter mania sweeps the world and who knows perhaps it could stir up a little chart magic for STEPS. 

19.09.01
STEPS IN CHART BATTLE WITH SHAGGY

STEPS will be doing battle for the top of the charts with Shaggy. Shaggy, who has 2 of his song in the top 10 best selling singles of the year so far, has already reached the No.1 spot with all his singles since his comeback to the music scene. He has previously done battle with STEPS when they released their last singles, Here And Now/You'll Be Sorry and Angel, Shaggy's track Angel reached No.1. Also hoping to make a dent in the charts is Liberty, the other five finalists in ITV's popstars TV show that proiduced Hear'Say. Their first single Thinking It Over looks set to be a top 5 hit.


MAKE A DATE WITH STEPS

Make sure you keep checking the diary page of the site from now on because STEPS are really starting to push their new single with a lot of TV promotion and you wouldn't want to miss anything would you!


STEPPY STUFF

Don't forget that you can pre order the album Gold and the book to accompany it at www.amazon.co.uk, alternatively www.cdwow.com will have the CD for 8.99 after the 15th October.

Also, if you haven't already, get over to www.avon.com and buy yourself a STEPS face cloth. We featured this item a couple of months back, but we thought we'd remind you to go and get yourself one as proceeds from the sales of the cloths go to the Breakthrough Breast cancer charity that CLAIRE supports.


20.09.01
BOB THE BUILDER BREAKS STEPS' RECORD

Bob The Builder is to stage a nationwide arena tour with a staggering 65 shows. And I can reveal the dates next year when 500,000 FANS will see him in the, er, flesh. Bob will be doing three times the number of dates Robbie Williams would plan for a tour and will outstrip the workload of Hear'Say and STEPS too. There are 16 shows planned for London's Wembley Arena alone. Bob's tickets, out tomorrow, are sure to be snapped up within hours. He told me: "Can we stage it? Yes we can. Look out kids, my tour will make the arenas rock 'n' roll." Bob is riding high on the success of a second No1, Mambo No5 - after Can We Fix It? became the top-selling single of last year. His shows, featuring voices from the TV cast, will be a puppet extravaganza with huge fibreglass and foam characters. A 6ft 7in Bob and his pals will transform a rubbish tip into a park on stage with help from the audience. His is the latest in a line of tours by TV characters - including The Tweenies and The Teletubbies - who are proving more popular than real artists.
(The Sun)


SITE NEWS

You may have noticed that a few of the sites pages have been re-vamped including our TV and Vid Caps pages, our Live and Dangerous section, the lyrics and our news archives pages. Well next up is the interviews and exclusives page. We'll be weeding out some of the older interviews as the server they are hosted on is changing. But have no fear as our totally new way of bringing you the latest STEPS interviews is proving to be twice as popular as ever! There'll also be a brand new dance section coming soon so stay tuned for more news on that.


STEPPY STUFF

Two great mags that are out now are Smash Hits and Live & Kicking both come with great STEPS inteviews and the song words to Chain Reaction and L&K even has a cool new poster of our fave guys and gals.

Also a big thankyou to Gary who sent in the tv caps of FAYE on monday's edition of Never Mind The Buzzcocks. You can find them on the tv caps page!


21.09.01
MORE GOLD TOUR DATES ON SALE NOW

Three extra dates have been added to STEPS' Gold Tour:
29th November - Glasgow SECC
8th December - Wembley Arena
10th December - Birmingham NECC

Tickets are on sale this morning from 9.00am.
You can buy them from the arena box offices or online at www.ticketline.co.uk or www.ticketmaster.co.uk

If any more dates go on sale we'll let you know!


H AND HELEN GET MUCKY ON TV

They're both Welsh, they're both blonde and the chemistry between H from STEPS and Big Brither's Helen Adams made hilarious TV on Celebrity Ready Staedy Cook.
Helen showed Ainsley that her culinary skills had improved since leaving the house and that she could make more than porridge nowadays - even mastering the tricky dish baked alaska,
The highlight of the show - to be shown 3rd October - was when crazy joker H chucked a spoonful of Helen's gooey pud in her face. Helen retaliated by smearing melted chocolate on H before a full scale food fight took place leaving Ainsley trying to avoid the dust up. Not sure if they'll be invited back after the mess they made.
(heat magazine)

22.09.01
CLAIRE - 'I WAS SO FRIGHTENED'

CLAIRE from STEPS talks for the first time on TV about her breast cancer scare

These days she's the epitome of happy-go-lucky self-confidence. But just a few months ago, CLAIRE RICHARD's world was in turmoil as she wrestled with the possibility that she might have breast cancer.

The 24-year-old singer made the shattering discovery in May. "I was having a shower one day when I found a lump," she said. "I didn't think anything of it for a while, but it didn't go away. Then I became a bit scared."

So scared, in fact, that the normally effervescent blonde was reluctant to go to her GP. It was her mum and boyfriend who finally persuaded her to have herself checked out. "They were so supportive," she says, "they were the ones who pushed me to go to the doctors."

Thankfully, a biopsy later proved that the lump was benign - and CLAIRE is now grateful she acted so quickly. "It took the worry away completely," she said, admitting she had been "so frightened - it's not a nice thing to go through."

CLAIRE knows she's one of the lucky ones - which is why she's now an avid campaigner for breast cancer charities.

Most recently she agreed to do a photoshoot for Pink Ribbon, a glossy magazine dedicated entirely to breast cancer and launched on October 1st to kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Inside the mag, CLAIRE's fellow band member LISA explains why the STEPS girls were so keen to support the launch: "All of our mothers have had scares, so we know what it's like when a family member goes through something so terrifying. "And then CLAIRE had a scare: when it touches your life so directly, you feel compelled to do something, whatever you can, to make others aware."Meanwhile CLAIRE makes a telling comment. Asked about her motto in life, she replies simply: "Don't be afraid." Because as she herself learned, by checking yourself regularly and acting promptly, breast cancer needn't necessarily be something to fear.Awareness
But awareness is key - and as Pink Ribbon's editor Clare O'Reilly explains, too many women are still burying their heads in the sand, to dangerous effect. "The fact remains that 13,400 women's lives are still claimed by breast cancer every year and an additional 33,000 women are diagnosed with the disease," she says."If just one woman's life can be saved by someone picking up Pink Ribbon, then it will be worth it."Inspiring
But if a magazine devoted to breast cancer sounds a bit gloomy to you, prepare to be surprised. Because Pink Ribbon is actually a 244-page glossy packed with all the celebrity interviews, fashion, beauty and travel stories you'd expect from a women's mag. And best of all, it may help save lives - because 1 from the price of each copy goes directly to breast cancer charities via the Pink Ribbon Foundation.Mmm - a guilt-free glossy with a positive purpose: now that's what we call a magazine...Pink Ribbon, published by Pacific Media, is on sale now priced 3.45, with 1 from every copy going directly towards breast cancer causes via the Pink Ribbon Foundation (registered charity number: 1080839).

23.09.01
LEE POSES NUDE FOR GAY MAG

STEPS star LEE LATCHFORD-EVANS has revealed that he has posed nude for a gay magazine.
He has followed in the footsteps of group pal H, who did the same in June last year.
I also hear the girls are planning to bare all for a fashion mag in the very near future.
STEPS' new single, Chain Reaction, is out tomorrow.
(Rav Singh - The News Of The World)


NURSES BLAST STEPS BABES FOR BEING TOO SEXY

STEPS have upset members of the nursing profession with the video for their latest single Chain Reaction.
The female members of STEPS are dressed in nurses' uniforms, white stiletto heels and plunging necklines.
They have been accused of exploiting nurses by making them seem 'kinky and stupid'.
Christine Hancock of the International Council of Nurses said: "It just isn't a fair representation. Nurses would never look like that."
One member of the public complained to the Royal College of Nursing, reports The Express.
They said: "It portrays nurses in a terrible light. The short skirts and provocative dance moves are all too much."
But the band claimed it was an innocent spoof on TV medical dramas like Casualty and ER.
STEPS singer CLAIRE RICHARDS said: "It's all very tongue-in-cheek and should not be taken too seriously. We wanted it to look like Carry on Doctor."
Chain Reaction is released on September 24
(Ananova)


24.09.01
STEPS AND GERI TO DO CONCERT FOR TROOPS DESPITE SAFETY WARNINGS

Geri Halliwell was just tu-tu hot to handle as she wowed the 10,000 strong crowd at an awards ceremony last night.
Her backing dancers almost dropped her as she gave a raunchy performance of Raining Men at the Disney Channel kids' awards at the London Arena.
She seemed a million miles away from worries over her safety when she flies out to give a concert for troops in the Gulf next month.
The SAS have promised to protect her and STEPS at their gig in Oman on October 6.
Squadrons of RSF planes will patrol the skies.
Nuclear subs, tanks and half a dozen battalions will be on standby nearby.
Geri and STEPS have decided to go ahead with the concert despite security experts warning that the region is a prime target for terrorists 500 miles away in Afghanistan.
There are fears that fundamentalists might try to kidnap them.
An MI5 officer said: "I admire the stars for not cancelling but it''s not the right thing to do.
"Any terrorist connected with Bin Laden would see an attack on this show as a moral victory."
(The People)


CHAIN REACTION NEWS

Woolworths are predicting that STEPS will enter the charts at No.2 with 'Chain Reaction'. They think that Kylie Minogue wil keep the top spot for 2 weeks running with her current chart topper 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head'

The real danger to STEPS getting to No.1 is a charity track by the AllStar Challenge - which has been brought out at short notice to raise money for the terrible tragedies in the US. The track which includes vocals from Michael Stipe and Nelly Furtado could almost certainly knock any single off the No.1 spot. I'm sure that if STEPS don't make it to No.1 they won't mind loosing out to a track that's for such a good cause.

Here's a review of the new single:

Whoever said STEPS were finished? Anyone who's heard this will immediately realise this is complete nonsense. In a time of acoustic whingers, angry metal and bland pop we need Steps more than ever.
Considering they did a pretty good job on the Bee Gees' 'Tragedy' adopting it as their virtual signature tune, LEE, H, CLAIRE, FAYE and LISA tackle another classic and succeed in making an already contagious track into an even more delectable pop offering that will lapped up in equal measure by pre-teens and office party goers alike.
It would have been a mammoth task to actually fail with a track like 'Chain Reaction' and in true STEPS style the end result is as infectious as pop gets.
Score: 4 out of 5
(Dotmusic)

Don't forget to go out and buy both CDs in the Chain Reaction set today!
Especially CD1 which includes an absolutely brilliant track called'Stop Me Loving You' written by our very own H and CLAIRE!


25.09.01
KYLIE SET TO KEEP STEPS OFF THE TOP SPOT

Kylie Minogue is more than 10,000 sales ahead of STEPS, in the midweek sales chart.
Kylie has sold about 40,000 copes of Can't Get You Out Of My Head.
STEPS look likely to enter the charts at number two, with 'Chain Reaction'.
Victoria Beckham's single is on course to fall to number 17 after debuting at number six.
Other new entries in this week's Top Ten currently include singles by City High, the Popstars losers Liberty, Elton John and Mary J Blige.
(ananova.com)


Kylie Minogue looks like holding on to the No 1 spot this weekend according to midweek sales figures but Victoria Beckham's single Not Such An Innocent Girl has plummeted to No 17! Kylie's Can't Get You Out Of My Head is comfortably ahead of STEPS' Chain Reaction which is currently at No 2.
Meanwhile Popstars runners up Liberty, touted as a possible chart toppers, are a new Top 10 entry with their debut single Thinking It Over. Elsewhere R&B trio City High are a new Top 5 entry with their debut What Would You do while Elton John's I Want Love and Mary J Blige's Family Affair are new Top 10 entries.
P Diddy's Bad Boy For Life, Stereophonics' Step On My Old Size Nines and Silicone Soul's Right On are new Top 20 entries while Garbage's new single Androgyny is also a new Top 20 entry. And actor Ewan McGregor may have to prepare for the pop star spotlight as his duet, Come What May, with Nicole Kidman is a new Top 40 entry. The song is taken from the soundtrack to the movie Moulin Rouge.
Meanwhile on the album charts Macy Gray looks set to hold on to the top spot with her new album The Id. There is a new top 10 entry for The Eels with Souljacker and rising US star Ryan Adams whose debut album, Gold is a new Top 20 entry.
(World Pop)


STARS JOIN RELIEF EFFORT

After the success of this weekend's Telethon in America, STEPS and a1 have exclusively revealed to worldpop that they hope to participate in UK tributes to those who died in the terrorist attacks of 11 September.
'There are actually a lot of things in the pipeline at the moment to raise a lot of money,' STEPS' FAYE TOZER said, backstage at Saturday's Disney Channel Kids' Awards. 'It's a very big thing for us and we want to get involved because obviously we're in the right position to help. Something's going to happen soon.'
'We're actually bringing out a charity record for Christmas,' revealed a1's Ben Adams. 'It's with people like Anastacia and Atomic Kitten. It's a cover of John Lennon's Happy Christmas (War Is Over) and it's fantastic.' It is as yet unclear whether money raised from the charity record will go towards the American relief effort but a1's Paul Marazzi told worldpop he would be keen to take part in a UK tribute to the victims. 'If anyone wants to ask us we're up for it,' he said.
Mis-Teeq also expressed an interest in raising money for the relief effort. 'We'd do it without a doubt,' said Sabrina, while Alesha added, 'Some things in life are more important.'
60% of worldpop users felt that British stars should participate in some kind of charity effort to help the US victims of terrorism in our recent poll. And now the stars seem to have responded!
Atomic Kitten were among winners at the Disney Channel Kids' Awards but the girls, who were in New York at the time of the terrorist attacks, remained tight-lipped about their feelings on the tragedy. 'It was hard but we're not going to complain because other people have gone through much worse than we did,' said Natasha Hamilton.
Meanwhile, Kevin Richardson from the Backstreet Boys has toned down remarks he made in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. Find out why here.
Friday night's Telethon in New York and Los Angeles is thought to have raised around $100 million so far. Acts at the event included U2, Mariah Carey and Limp Bizkit.
(World Pop)


OUR NEW LOOK

Welcome to the new look STEPS Home UK!
We have streamlined the site and hope that it's a bit easier to use etc
In future if you want to see what's been updated on the site for example what pics have been added to the gallery you must visit the What's new/site updates page. It's best to get into the habit of using it daily so that you don't miss a thing!
Today we've added loads of new goodies including the lyrics to 'Stop Me From Loving You' and the 'Chain Reaction' dance steps, but visit the site uodates page for more details!


26.09.01
CLAIRE'S GOT STARS IN HER EYES

We told you a few months back about CLAIRE filming a Popstars Stars In Their Eyes Special didn't we. Well it's due to be aired on ITV on Saturday 6th October at 6.00pm.
CLAIRE will be impersonating her childhood hero Karen Carpenter and will be donning a long dark wig to play the part - it's definately not to be missed!


STEPS TO DEFY DANGER

Pop stars STEPS and Geri Halliwell are to defy the threat of war to entertain British troops in the Gulf. Two concerts, for a total of 7,000 soldiers were planned long before the US terror attacks.
Defence chiefs feared they would be cancelled, but last night a spokesman for STEPS said "The band desperately want to do it despite what happened in America. The same, I am sure, is true of Geri. The MoC told us there are fears that it may be dangerous, but STEPS told them they still want to do the concerts."
The troops originally went to Oman to do exercises, but are now on high alert in the event of a strike against Osama Bin Laden. Geri and STEPS are due to fly out in two weeks.
(The Sun)


CHART NEWS

STEPS are currently at No2 in the UK charts, they're still lagging behind Kylie Minogue's latest single, but you could change that! Go out and buy as many copies of Chain Reaction as you can and keep requesting it on your local radio stations and stations like MTV and The Box.


27.09.01
GOING FOR GOLD

Who would have thought that more than four years after 5 ,6, 7, 8 STEPS would be one of our best and best-loved pop groups? Now H, LISA, LEE, FAYE and CLAIRE are set to storm the charts with STEPS Gold, their greatest hits collection. We caught up with the quintet to discover their next step!


worldpop: Where did you get the idea to cover Chain Reaction?

LEE: It was from our manager actually. He's wanted to do it for a long time and we've held back from doing it before, but we all decided we'd give it a go this time. We had a huge hit with Tragedy and I think we're trying to get the same reaction from Chain Reaction!.

worldpop: If you met Diana Ross what would you say to her?

LEE: I'd say sorry!.

LISA: No, I just hope she likes it. I know it is a classic but hopefully we've turned it into a modern classic.

worldpop: We hear there are some new tracks on STEPS Gold.

LISA: Yes, we've got about four bonus tracks, including Chain Reaction. We've got one really beautiful song. It's quite different for us because it's really sophisticated and we don't dance! It's out at the beginning of December and it's called Words Are Not Enough.

LEE: It's very much the same sort of vibe as When I Said Goodbye. It's a slow song, we're sitting down singing and there's no major dance routine. The only difference with Words Are Not Enough is that you will hear all of our voices, which is a bit of a one-off from STEPS.

worldpop: Do you want to get away from the dance routines more in the future?

FAYE: I don't think STEPS will ever get away from the dance routines because that's 50% of what we are: music and dancing, and that's where the name came from originally. But it's a treat to sit down and not do anything! We look at all the other bands who just stand there with microphone stands and sing and it's an easy life for them! We'd like a little bit of that so we're spoiling ourselves for Christmas.

worldpop: Have you got any solo projects in the pipeline like Boyzone and the Spice Girls?

CLAIRE: We haven't discussed solo projects. We're concentrating on the Gold album which is out on 15 October and the Christmas single. As for next year, we're planning a fourth album so that's going to take up the majority of our time.

FAYE: We might book in a holiday for ourselves.

LEE: That's my solo project!

worldpop: STEPS Gold, is that a reference to Abba?

FAYE: What do you think?

LEE: Blame our manager!

LISA: It was our manager who named our album. He's having quite a bit of input at the moment! He seems to have good ideas and he came up with Gold for the title. It does relate to Abba and also Spandau Ballet and they obviously had massive, massive greatest hits records so we just hope for similar success.

worldpop: We've heard lots of rumours that you're going to split up after releasing Steps Gold..

LISA:We have been asked if this is our last album because it's the greatest hits and I like to say that it's the end of a chapter and not the end of the book. It's not the end!


THE HELLO TOUR

Next up was STEPS who thought they should get an award for the best boy/girl group and when quizzed about their Gold tour, H joked that you could expect "elephants, giraffes and tight-rope walking" but we'll see!
"It's our fifth tour now and whatever your favourite STEPS song is we're going to be playing it," confirmed LISA. "From '5,6,7,8' right the way through to 'Chain Reaction'."
The quintet then put the record straight about rumours that this was a STEPS farewell tour.
"Noit's a hello tour," they all replied.
"You're going to get all the hits and a few surprises," said FAYE.
(Dotmusic)


CHAIN REACTION TALKING POINT SPECIAL

Tomorrow's edition of Talking Point is a cHain Reaction Special so we want your thoughts on anything to do with Chain Reaction. What do you think of the video? the remixes? the b-sides? or the song itself! Whatever you want to say about Chain Reaction we wantr to hear it! Send your eviews to us at stepshomeuk@aol.com before midnight tonight!


28.09.01
LISA - 'I'M GLAD I KEPT MY CLOTHES ON!'

STEPS star LISA SCOTT-LEE says she's glad she refused to bare all for a magazine.
She says she received a "very generous" offer to strip off.
But she told Now magazine she has no regrets about turning it down.
"I got an offer through our management," said LISA.
"It was a very generous offer but I'd have to live with it for the rest of my life."
She said she would have been worried about who might have laid their eyes on her body.
"There are things you should keep for your boyfriend." LISA said.
"I couldn't bear to think of my family and old school friends seeing it."
(Ananova.com)


STEPS TV

Last night's Pepsi Chart performance of 'Chain Reaction' which was cancelled because of the football will be shown tonight at 7.00pm on Channel 5. This will be followed by Top Of The Pops at 7.30pm on BBC1 and Lily Live on ITV at 10.00pm where STEPS will perform a medley of their greatest hits and chat to Ms Savage herself!


KYLIE TO HANG ONTO TOP SPOT

Kylie should be No1 again on Sunday with Cant Get You Out Of My Head, which looks like becoming the biggest-selling single of the year so far.
She kept Victoria Beckham off the top spot last week with her song which sold 306,000 copies - 271,000 more than Posh's 35,000.
Kylie said she was excited and thrilled to pieces that it got to No1. "It's been a really interesting week with all the media frenzy about chart battles. It can only be good for the record industry.
"I want to say a special thanks to everyone who came up to me on the streets and told me they love the single and the video. It means so much to me."
(The Sun)


STEPPY STUFF
Two mags you might want to buy are the new issues of Now and CD:UK both are on sale now and contain articles with the band. You can read the articles on our interview page.


29.09.01
GOLD REVIEW

Countless tribute and sound-a-like bands have had various stabs at mimicking the magic of ABBA. Of the bunch, STEPS have been the most successful in their attempts to nurture a similar ABBA-esque musical style and image. It comes as no surprise that STEPS should call their "best of" anthology Gold, just like the bestselling "best of" from their Swedish heroes. The ABBA influences can be heard right from their earliest material--"One For Sorrow" to "After The Love Has Gone" (October 1999), through to newer compositions such as "Baby Don't Dance" (an updated version of "Voulez-Vous?"). Released at the peak of the line-dancing craze in the UK, their thigh-slapping debut "5,6,7,8" thus sounds remarkably out of place. Proving that they're no puppets of Mr Waterman, the Euro-pop style "Only In My Dreams" is the first song written by STEPS as a group. Their cover of Diana Ross's 1986 number one "Chain Reaction" looks destined, along with "Tragedy" and the 70s disco inspired hit "Stomp", to become the songs which future generations will best remember CLAIRE, FAYE, LISA, H and LEE for. --John Galilee
(Amazon)


BACKSTAGE AT CD:UK

STEPS' H said he couldn't wait for the show to end but not because he wasn't having a good time. 'We've got a day off today, the first in ages and I can't wait,' he said.

FAYE from STEPS spent most of the morning on her phone backstage, 'I've got some time off this afternoon, and I've got to see my friends, ' she yelled as she ran past us.

STEPS enterd the CD:UK chart at No.2! Just missing out on the top spot to Kylie Minogue. It's the band's fifth No.2 in the UK, other singles which narrowly missed reaching No.1 are One For Sorrow, Better Best Forgotten, Love's Got A Hold On My Heart and It's The Way You Make Me Feel.
You can still make your sale count in tomorrow's chart though so go out and buy Chain Reaction now!


30.09.01
CHAIN REACTION IN AT NO.2!

Congratulations are in order for H, LISA, CLAIRE, FAYE and LEE as STEPS have notched up their 14th UK hit since they first shimmied their way into our lives with the line dancing track 5,6,7,8. Since then they've become the UK's best loved and most successful pop act for years with the release of their greatest hits album Gold on the 15th October!
Chain Reaction was the highest new entry in the chart and any other week the sales would have surely secured them their third No.1 but No.2 is great and STEPS are second best to no one! Long live the STEPSters!


FAYE'S COOKING UP TROUBLE

STEPS beauty FAYE TOZER is so bad at cooking she didn't even know how to turn her new cooker on when she had pals round and wanted to heat up pizzas.
(The Sunday People)