01.11.01
H GETS A FOXY NEW CO-STAR

The BBC has decided that a talking glove puppet is the answer to its Saturday night scheduling nightmare. Basil Brush, the cheeky red fox, was last seen on our screens in the '80s. But the Beeb bosses are now confident that Basil, famous for his 'Boom Boom!' catchphrase, will appeal to a whole new audience.
Favourite to be his new sidekick is STEPS star H, who recently lost out on a starring role in Godspell to Robbie Williams' best mate, Jonathan Wilkes. With his Butlins background and vibrant personality, H would be the perfect choice to outfox his co-presenter. Basil's comeback began last year when lad's mag Loaded presented him with a lifetime achievement award.
(Now Magazine)


HAS LISA'S LOVE LEFT BOOM?

It has come to our attention that something decidedly odd is going on with LISA's fiance Johnny's band Boom - Johnny doesn't appear to be with them anymore!
The band who had a top 20 hit with their one and only single, 'Falling', have been trying to secure a new record deal, but they appear in an advert for Skittles in the new issue of Smash Hits and are decidedly Johnny-less. The band has been slimmed down and now features just three girls and two boys and Johnny isn't one of them! The puzzle continues...



STEPS TO LOOSE OUT TO JACKSON

The slaes figures for the week so far show that STEPS are currently resting at a highly respectable No.2 in the UK album charts. They have sold well over 20,000 of copies this week so far, but Michael Jackson is set to knock them from No.1 with his new album Invincible.



BAG YOURSELF TICKETS FOR A STEPS TV SHOW

With the release of our new single Words Are Not Enough we'll be appearing on a number of TV shows, and we'd like to invite you to some too!
The first is on Saturday the 10th of November when we'll be live in The Saturday Show studios to perform our single and to take part in the comedy sketches. If you want to be there too all you have to do is send an email with your name and address to - thesaturdayshow@bbc.co.uk
Please Note - that you must have a group of 4 people aged between 12-17 and you must be able to get to BBC TV centre in London by 7am (it's an early one!)
(STEPSOfficial)



02.11.01
GOLD GOES PLATINUM

STEPS' Greatest Hits album, Gold, has already earned itself a certification in the UK! It was certified on Saturday 20th October as having notched up enough sales to go Platinum! It's yet another great achievement for STEPS!



WORDS ARE NOT ENOUGH/I KNOW HIM SO WELL NEWS

Thanks to everyone who sent this in:
The HMV website have got up the suspected tracklisting for STEPS' new double A side single Words Are Not Enough/I Know Him So Well. Contary to earlier reports HMV only have it down as being released on 1 CD.

Words Are Not Enough/I Know Him So Well
1. Words Are Not Enough
2. I Know Him So Well
3. Bittersweet

The B-side Bittersweet was co-written by LISA!



EARLY MORNING MADNESS

Set your alarm clocks early tomorrow because STEPS kick off their promotion for their new single by invading the sm:tv Live studios. They'll be joining Ant, Dec and Cat with their usual blend of madcap comedy and music and will be performing their new single Words Are Not Enough. See the diary page for more details on this and other TV shows STEPS will feature on.



MAN OMAN

FAYE and LEE STEPS were air-lifted to safety when the aircraft carrier they were visiting was called to war.
"We were visiting the British troops in Oman," explained FAYE, "And LEE and I were on board the HMS Illustrious when it was called off to do something else - namely go off to join the conflict. They called in a helicopter to take us off the ship but it was all done very quickly and safely and we were never in any danger."
It was an eventful trip for the band, who'd travelled to Oman to help raise morale and entertain the troops preparing for conflict in Afghanistan. "Yeah!" added H. "On our first nuight there, we played a gig that had to be cut short because the crowd were getting too excited! A couple of days later we played a gig for about 7,000 troops in a specially constructed arena about 200 miles into the desert - and we were flown in by chinook helicopters! But, I was used to all that by then 'cos I'd already been allowed to fly a Hercules during the trip!"



03.11.01
STEPS TO HELP IN WAR EFFORT

STEPS' LEE LATCHFORD-EVANS has told worldpop the band would consider doing more to entertain the troops in the Middle East following their recent, successful visit to Oman. Speaking exclusively to worldpop backstage at Saturday's cd:uk, the singer told worldpop. 'We'd like to do something more for the war effort. We all feel strongly about it but the Oman trip was planned long before war broke out. I think it would be very difficult to go to the Middle East now with the area on high alert. If there is something we can do, we will.'The singer said he was unaware of comments from other STEPS' band members criticising Geri Halliwell's 'outrageous' backstage demands for her performance in Oman which included a tent complete with a fridge fully stocked with soya milk, a computer with Internet access and air conditioning.'I haven't spoken to Geri about it,' said LEE. 'But I do know she worked really hard on getting her performance right while she was out there.'



H SLATES HELEN

Despite appearing on TV together recently, it seems that proud Welshman H from STEPS isn't a big fan of Helen from Big Brother 2. "I'm sorry she's thick! I find it weird that a Welsh hairdresser can end up on the front pages for a week without doing anything spectaular" Thought it was the STEPS girls who were supposed to be catty!
(Shout magazine)



WHAT'S THE DAMAGE?

Looks like Emma Bunton could do some Damage to boyfriend Jade after he was seen flirting with FAYE from STEPS backstage at a television programme.
(Shout magazine)



SITE UPDATES

We'll be doing lots of updates to the site this evening, mainly to the TV caps page. We'll be adding loads of new caps including STEPS in Oman and Claire on Stars In Their Eyes - a big thankyou to Gary for doing the caps. Check the site updates page to find out what we've added and where we've added it to!



04.11.01
LISA GOES BACK TO HER SCHOOL DAYS

Sexy STEPS babe LISA SCOTT-LEE enjoyed a wild night out with pals at one of London's hottest club nights, School Disco.com, the club has the theme of an old school disco and party goers must come dressed in appropriate attire.
Lisa chose to come as a naughty school girl - other celebs who attended the night included Emma Bunton and S Club 7's Jo O'Meara.

AFTER LEE'S LOVE HAS GONE

The relationship between STEPS' LEE LATCHFORD-EVANS and Asda model Gabrielle Richens is over after three weeks. I'm surprised I didn't think that they'd last two.
(The News Of The World)




STEPS VERSUS HEAR'SAY

STEPS will be facing some tough chart competition in the shape of Popstars winners Hear'Say when both bands release their new singles on Monday 26th November.
Hear'Say, who were put together by a TV show, and STEPS have already crossed swords once before when STEPS stars CLAIRE RICHARDS and LEE LATCHFORD-EVANS slammed them as being TV stars and nothing like a real pop group!
However despite that run in Hear'Say singer Suzanne Shaw went on to say that STEPS were the nicest people in pop and then LEE ended up being romantically linked with Myleene Klass.
Hear'Says new single, 'Everybody' is taken from their new album, which is not available until early December, and so has an edge over STEPS' single 'Words Are Not Enough/I Know Him So Well' because fans won't have been able to have got their hands on it. ''Words Are Not Enough' is taken from STEPS No.1 album Gold so it may suffer due to the fact that a hell of a lot of people are going to own it already...Gold went platinum within five days if it's release! And 'I Know Him So Well' has been available for fans to buy on the Abbamania CD since November 1999!
Other releases on the 26th November are said to include 'Doin' It' by Hear'Say's rivals Liberty who apparently delibrately moved their elease date to do battle with their former Popstars pals. Hvaing said all this it is likely that STEPS will move their release date back, as they do have a habit of chopping and changing their dates all the time.



ALBUM CHART NEWS

STEPS have slipped down to No.2 in the UK album charts with their Greatest Hits album Gold. They were knocked off the top spot by Michael Jackson who released his comeback album, Invincible, on Monday.
Gold is still selling amazingly well and has already gone Platinum sales figures indicate it could be one of the biggest selling albums of the year.



05.11.01
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LISA

The STEPS Home UK team would like to wish LISA a very happy 26th birthday - we know that she'll have a great time and live up to her nickname of Party STEPS!
If you haven't sent a birthday message for LISA and FAYE
yet what are you waiting for? Follow the link on the front page to send your birthday gretting today!



STEPS GO POTTY OVER POTTER

H, CLAIRE, LEE and FAYE from STEPS were among a whole host of celebs who attended last nights eagerly awaited premiere of the new Harry Potter movie in Leicester Square. H, who took along a pals children said "I couldnt believe they were so quiet. You could have heard a pin drop. It had everyone enthralled. The special effects were fantastic."
(The Sun)

CHAIN REACTION GOES SILVER

STEPS have slipped down to No.26 in the UK singles chart with their hit single Chain Reaction. But the best news is that it has been certified silver! It's the first STEPS single to recieve a certification in the UK since they released Say You'll Be Mine/Better The Devil You Know at the end of 1999 and it went gold.



SITE NEWS

We've got a bit of a new look today! We decided that it was time to get rid of the Gold look because it was really only tempoary to celebrate the release of the album and also the official site will be getting a gold look.



06.11.01
GOLD TO RETURN TO THE TOP SPOT?

Sales figures for the week so far show that STEPS are currently at No.1 in the album charts with their greatest hits album, Gold. The fab five were at No.1 for 2 weeks until they were knocked from the top spot on Sunday by Michael Jacksons comebcak album, Invincible.



BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE GOLD ALBUM LAUNCH

If you follow the link on our front page you'll be able to see exclusive photos of STEPS' launch party for their No.1 album Gold. Plus you'll be able to see who H's bosom buddy in the pop world is!


STRANGE GOINGS ON

I don't really understand this article, but as it concerned STEPS here it is. Thanks to Nick for sending it in.
Steps have crossed over to the other side.

The popular so-called five-piece, who count three women and two men in their number but oddly none of them can whistle, have been enjoying trips to castles to commune with the dead. The Daily Star (November 5) reports that
during the filming of a video for new single 'Words Are Not Enough' the thrash metallers awoke unquiet spirits. The news has sent moderate ghost watchdogs into a frenzy. One such guardian says: "Steps have been playing
with the dark side for a little too long. They have been into white magic
for some time and like burning candles and sitting in circles holding hands asking if anybody is there and that Lee one makes spells that make peoples hair fall out and such like. But on recent records there has been a change.
If you play their version of 'Tragedy' backwards at 33rpm you can clearly hear Claire chanting: 'Satan is a great big fella. He throws a great party'.
This is sending the wrong signal out to children and impressionable adults.
"Steps should know better. I hear Faye is desperate to leave because she lives in fear of Lisa. Lisa sacrificed a goat before a recent gig and I think that may have been the last straw. When Faye spoke up, Lisa just laughed and smeared some of the goat's liver on her forehead. The make-up woman was able to cover it up before they took to the stage. Lisa says the devil looks a bit like Charlton Heston, but that he doesn't have all the
best tunes. He's into line-dancing, I believe, which is probably how Steps
met him in the first place."
(from NME.com)

Hmm make of that one what you will...



07.11.01
STEPS TAKE THEIR PLACES FOR THE CHART BATTLE OF THE YEAR

Forget Posh versus Kylie the chart battle of the year is STEPS v HearSay v Atomic Kitten v Five v Geri Halliwell v Mariah Carey. All will be vying for No1 with new singles released on November 26. Not a great day for Kate Winslet to launch her pop career then.
(The Sun)

STEPS are of course releasing 'Words Are Not Enough/I Know Him So Well'
Geri Halliwell is releasing 'Calling'
Hear'Say are releasing 'Everybody'
And Atomic Kitten are releasing 'You Are'

Out of all the tracks listed above they are all ballads except for 'Everybody' by Hear'Say.



FAYE AND LISA THANK FANS FOR THEIR GIFTS

Taken from OK magazine -

Lisa: "They always give us little gifts, it's really sweet! They pick up on our latest fads. We've been getting a lot of the Just For You bears, which I love!"

Faye: "We've been given a lot of home-made stuff which is really sweet. You know when you did woodwork at school and then didn't know what to do with the ting afterwards? Well we've had loads of that sort of stuff, but it's so great! We get lots of jewellery as well, although it's a bit worrying that the fans spend their money on us."



STEPS AND CLIFF

As you will know STEPS recorded a TV special with Cliff Richard the other week and sang Chain Reaction as a duet with him! Apparently on the show, called Hits I Missed, Cliff covers songs that he wishes that he'd recorded and Chain Reaction is one of them!
Cliff and STEPS got on brilliantly and the legendry singer was most impressed by the fab five...
"When I heard STEPS were free to do the show I was really pleased because they're such a contemporary band. They were wonderful, very vivacious, bubbly and fun and they could sing which obviously appealed to me somewhat!"
Cliff also denied tabloid rumours that FAYE's top had become undone during the show and had treated him and the audience to an eyeful...
"I have to say that story is absolute rubbisgh, It might have happened backstage, but certainly none of us saw it - mores the pity!"

08.11.01
NICE LITTLE IRN-ER

STEPS babe FAYE TOZER has finally set a date for wedding with boyf Jasper Irn - and the talented lady will be designing her own dress, which she promises will be a little edgy! They're getting hitched next August so it looks like there'll be yet another summer of love!



FAYE AND LISA OPEN NEW PHOTO STUDIO

No glitzy ceremony is complete without the help of a popstar or three so we rounded up LISA and FAYE STEPS and Bryan Westlife to open our new photo studio.
The Star Bar, the new area for popstars and celebs to rub shoulders was fit to burst in anticipation of our opening even!
"This is a first for us - we've never opened anything before" beamed LISA as she stepped up to he red ribbon tying the doors closed. "And this is certainly more glamourous than opening a supermarket!"laughed FAYE.
(Top Of The Pops magazine)



ALBUM CHART NEWS

There are only a few hundred copies between STEPS, Michael Jackson and Britney Spears in this weeks album charts, but STEPS are highly tipped to go back up to No.1 after shifting more than 12,000 copies on Monday and Tuesday!
Despite this Woolworths has them at No.8 in their chart prediction!



STEPPY STUFF

Just a quick note this weeks Talking Point can be about absolutely anytrhing so if you've got a question that needs answering or if you want the truth behind a rumour mail us at stepshomeuk@aol.com before Friday afternoon and we'll do our best to help you out!

There are a couple of mags you'll want to get your hands on this week:
Top Of The Pops Magazine includes some great backstage pics of STEPS messing round with Bryan Westlife and Kerry Ex-Kitten, plus there's a very sad article with FAYE where she talks about how she copefd when her pet dog had to be put to sleep - be warned you'll need your hankies for that one!
Top Of The Pops comes with a free Live CD which contains a live version Deeper Shade Of Blue!
Live and Kicking magazine is also out now and that's got an interview with LEE in it.

12.11.01
S CLUB'S BRAD BRANDS STEPS PLASTIC

We fear that S Club 7 star Bradley McIntosh's love of smoking dope has affected his mind. For that would at least give the pint-sized popster an excuse for his outrageous attack on 'manufactured music'. Shamed Bradley, who has twice been caught smoking a joint, has railed against Pete Waterman for producing plastic pop such as Kylie and STEPS. A clearer case of the pot calling the kettle black would be hard to find, we believe. "People like Peter Waterman are messing up music," young Brad pontificates in Smash Hits magazine. "Shows like Popstars and Pop Idol make forming a band look like Challenge Anneka. "People have got to realise it's not about manufacturing stuff." Odd, because S Club 7 is one of the most cynically put-together bands since the Monkees. The gang - Bradley, Tina Barrett, Jo O'Meara, Paul Cattermole, Rachel Stevens, Hannah Spearitt and Jon Lee - were mostly stage-school kids, brought together through auditions by former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller, who runs 19 Management. Bear this in mind as Bradley adds: "If you really wanted to find the most talented singers in the country it could take two years - not just a couple of auditions." Also bear in mind that the lucky winner of Pop Idol will land a management contract...with Fuller's firm. Bradley, 19, is making a habit of landing himself in hot water. He was caught by police alongside Jon and Paul smoking a joint while shopping in London in March, then nabbed again outside 19 Management's offices in South London. (The Mirror)

ALBUM NEWS

As we revealed yesterday STEPS are back at No.1 in the UK album charts! H had this to say when he was told the news: "We can't believe it! To fight off competition from Michael Jackson is unbelivable - he's one of the biggest artists in the world!" The real question is will STEPS be able to keep hold of the top spot this week? Westlife release their third album 'World Of Our Own' today and Woolworths are predicting that the Irish boyband will knock STEPS from the perch. Prove them wrpng and go out and buy Gold today!


STEPPY STUFF

Obviously we've just had some terrible news from the USA where yet another plane has crashed onto New York - this time in the suburb of Queens. For it to happen once was horrendous enough but for this type of tragedy to strike again is unthinkable our thoughts at this terrible time are with everyone in the USA.


On a happier note if you want to get some Steppy goodness from a magazine try this months TV Hits magazine which has among other things a fab interview with H in which he discusses the high points of his life and travels back in time, thee's also very gorgeous poster of the fab five so get your mits on that today!


More bad news I'm afraid. I've just been to check the message board on the Gold Members part of the site and I was disgusted by what I found. You were warned before you used the board that anybody who wrote things that would be construed as being offensuve to STEPS or other users or that spread false rumours or speculation about STEPS' private lives would result in you being banned, the people involved have been banned and I have spoken to the rest of the STEPS Home UK team about it and we have decided that the Gold club will remain shut until further notice. Newsletters will contunue to be delivered to you unless you have been banned by us. The same rules apply to the noral message board on the main site anyone found breaking rules will be banned and the board will be closed if abuse of it continues.



13.11.01
GOLD GOES 2X PLATINUM

Argh! How great do we feel right now?! Our album Gold has gone back up to No.1!
Thank-you so much for making this all possible. The album dropped to number 2 last week as there was some really tough competition after being number 1 for two weeks. To go back up to the top again is unbelievable!
And to make things even more exciting the album has now gone double Platinum selling over 600,000 copies in a month!! Hooray!
Thanks everyone! Lots and lots of love,
Lisa, H, Lee, Claire and Faye



I KNOW HIM SO WELL VIDEO ON THE BOX

The Abbamania perfprmance of I Know Him So Well is currently showing on The Box No.200
I don't know if this is the actual promo for it - I'm hoping not it was recorded two years ago!



WESTLIFE ON TRACK FOR NO.1

It looks as though STEPS will be knocked from the No.1 postion by Westlife on Sunday. Westlife's album is currently outselling Madonna's Greatest Hits Album - Volume 2 and Woolworths are predicting STEPS will drop down to No.4. I reckon STEPS could have the Christmas No.1 with Gold though!



STEPS DO THIER BIT FOR CHILDREN IN NEED

STEPS will be joining Hear'Say in Portsmouth on Friday night for a charity concert to raise money for the BBCs annual charity event, Children In Need. The TV coverage starts at 7.00pm on BBC1 but you will be able to watch footage of the concerts live online at www.bbc.co.uk/cin/
You can also visit their web page for further info on the events and for ideas on how you can help raise money.



14.11.01
HAPPY BIRTHDAY FAYE

The STEPS Home UK Team would like to wish STEPS' bubbliest, beautiful blonde FAYE an extremely happy 26th birthday today!
You can view other fans birthday messages for FAYE by following the link on the main page.



WORDS ARE NOT ENOUGH/I KNOW HIM SO WELL SPECIAL

We've opened a brand new special on the site to celebrate the release of STEPS' stunning double A side single, Words Are Not Enough/I Know Him So Well. On it you'll find everything you need to know about the single, interviews with the band and some great photos - plus there's more being added to it as the release of the record draws nearer and we need your help!
We want you to review Words Are Not Enough/I Know Him So Well and tell us what you think of the tracks. Send your reviews to stepshomeuk@aol.com



STEPPY STUFF

At the moment we're trying to think of some new features to add to the site so we'll be quite busy with that, we're also working on a STEPS Christmas Special for the site which will hopefully go online at the beginning of December.
If you've got any ideas of features that could be used on the site mail us at stepshomeuk@aol.com
Please remember that we don't want to add things such as audio or video files at the moment because we feel it's not in the best interests of STEPS to have these readily available on the net - plus other sites already host them so there's no point in us having them too.



15.11.01
SMASH HITS TRIP UP

In the October 17th issue of Smash Hits they informed readers that STEPS would be taking part in their tour - The Smash Hits Poll Winners Party Tour. We thought this was odd because STEPS would be taking part in their own tour at the same time and we were right. In the new issue of Smash Hits - Out now - they apologise for saying that STEPS will be there, because they can't make it due to touring commitments of their own!



LEE'S ON THE BALL

Brrr! It was mighty chilly down at the latest star studded footie tournament - but we soon warmed up with the sight of so many lush lads in shorts! First out onto the pitch was LEE STEPS, the keenest player for the blue tem, followed by Ralf Little and loadsa Eastenders! On the opposite side, Brookie and Hollyoaks stars dribbled like pors. Even the supporters were famous Eastenders Janine turned up and cheered with the rest of us!
(TV Hits)



STEPPY STUFF

Smash Hits magazine has a review of STEPS at the Astoria and a few pics of the fab five in the new issue out now!

STEPS will be releasing their Greatest Hits album Gold alongside their new single Chain Reaction, in Austraila early 2002. More details as we get them.

We'd also like to wish one of the hardest working members of the STEPS Home UK team - Sarah a very happy 19th birthday - if it wasn't for Sarah you wouldn't get all the STEPS news first or have nearly as must steppy goodies so we're sure you'll all join us in wishing her the best birthday ever!



16.11.01
WATCH STEPS LIVE IN PORTSMOUTH

As you know STEPS will be doing their bit for Children In Need tonight by performing a special concert with Hear'Say in Portsmouth. You can watch the concert live on the net from 7.00pm-10.00pm at www.bbc.co.uk/cin/ and don't forget you can pledge money online at the same address!



STEPS IN SHEFFIELD

Are you going to watch STEPS on the first night of their tour in Sheffield? If you are we need you to contact us a.s.a.p as we have a very special favour to ask you. If you think you could help us out and be STEPS Home UK special reporter for the night then mail us at stepshomeuk@aol.com



STEPPY STUFF

We need your help for a new fan section on the site. If you've met STEPS and have photos of yourself with them and want to let other fans see and hear all about when you met the fab five then mail us at stepshomeuk'aol.com

Two fab new wallpapers have been added to Words Are Not Enough/I Know Him So Well special - just click on the link at the bottom of the page!

There's also a new edition of Talking Point!



17.11.01
STEPS SKY BOX OFFICE SHOW CONFIRMED

STEPS - LIVE IN YOUR LIVING ROOM; SATURDAY 22ND DECEMBER.

MEN ARENA, MANCHESTER

Four years have passed since STEPS bounded into British musical history with their first hit '5-6-7-8'. Thirteen Top 10 singles and four multi-platinum albums later, they are now an unstoppable global phenomenon, having had more consecutive Top 5 singles than any group other than The Beatles.
STEPS are now back on the road after seeing their new greatest hits album 'Gold' rocket to Number One in the UK charts and Sky Box Office will be joining Faye, H, Claire, Lee and Lisa at the MEN Arena in Manchester for a steptacular live show.
To start the chain reaction, we're bringing you STEPS: The Interview - an exclusive hour-long backstage with the fab five as they prepare for the big event.
TITLE: Steps - Live in your living room
DATE: Saturday 22nd December
VENUE: MEN Arena Manchester
TIME: 7-8PM - 'Steps - The Interview' 8-9.45PM Approx - Band live on stage
PRICE: 9.99 (ROI - 12.59)
CHANNEL: Sky Digital Channel 770 and Cable
INFORMATION: 08705 800 888
REPEATS: From Sunday 23rd December until Saturday 29th December
WIN a signed Steps jacket from the 'Deeper Shade of Blue' tour!
Just call 0906 281 3 281 and answer a simple question to be entered into this prize draw
Calls cost 60p per minute. Under 18s must seek bill payers permission before calling. Likely call duration 3 minutes.
Competition runs from 8th - 29th December 2001.
Terms and conditions on Sky Text page 672
(Sky Text Service)



GIRL POWER AT CD:UK

LISA, FAYE and CLAIRE made an unscheduled appearance on todays CD:UK to perform their latest single I KNOW HIM SO WELL. The girls left H and LEE at home as they belted out the classic track from the musical Chess. FAYE said that the boys were taking a well earned day off before the tour kicks off next week!



PREVIEW OF WORDS ARE NOT ENOUGH REMIX

New to the Sleaze Sisiters Official website is a 2 minute snippet of STEPS new song "Words Are Not Enough" rexied by Sleazesisters. This song is due to be released on 26 November 2001 and so far hasn't been confirmed that the Sleazesisters remix is to be included on the CD. For a better chance of getting this remix commercially released fill out the poll (see www.sleazesistersofficial.co.uk for more details). To download the 2 minute snippet click on the link below. Estimated downloading time is appoximately 5 minutes. (With many thanks to www.sleazesisitersofficial.co.uk)

Download Words Are Not Enough Remix

18.11.01
WESTLIFE KNOCK STEPS FROM NO.1

STEPS' brilliant Greatest Hits album Gold has been knocked down to No.4 in this weeks UK album charts. New enteries from Westlife, Madonna and Gabrielle all contributed to the fab five becoming unstuck.
1. World Of Our Own - Westlife
2. GHV2 - Madonna
3. Dreams Can Come True - Gabrielle
4. Gold - STEPS
5. Greatest Hits - BeeGees
It's interesting that 4 of the top 5 are greatest hits compilations! In fact there are about 12 greatest hits albums in the chart at the moment.
In the singles charts Chain Reaction stays at No.29, it's already gone silver in the UK and has been a huge success for the group, it would almost have definately gone to No.1 if it hadn't been for Kylie.



I KNOW HIM SO WELL THE ALMIGHTY MIX

It's that party season again! And this year there's one tune that's going to stand out - the very sing-a-long and very very fun Almighty produced mix of STEPS 'I Know Him So Well', which is the additional track on their forthcoming Christmas single.
The band came to the Almighty studios a few weeks ago to record a new, more chirpy and less ballad-esque vocal. You'll know 'I Know Him So Well' as the huge Barbara Dickson and Elaine Paige hit from 1985 - it was the love ballad from the Abba written musical 'Chess'.
STEPS recorded it originally for the 'Abbamania' tribute album, 2 years ago. Unfortunately, it looks like this new Almighty mix will only be used for club promotion. It's going to be one of those you hear out in the clubs but won't be able to buy.
Fingers crossed though that it ends up on a future single format!
(www.almightyrecords.com)



21.11.01
NEW SINGLE RELAESE DATE MOVED?

In Virgin megastores they are saying that the release of Words Are Not Enough/I Know Him So Well has been put back until Monday 3rd December. Amazon and HMV still have it down as being released this monday coming the 26th. I hope that they have decided to put it back because they'll be up against some very stiff competition if they do release on Monday and they haven't really had the chance for much promotion. It's an excellent single and it desreves to be given it's best chance of getting to No.1.



DJ PROMO TRACKLISTING

Thanks to Paul who said that he's been sent the DJ promo for the new single the tracklisting is as follows:
A1 - Words Are Not Enough (Sleaze Sisters Anthem)
A2 - Words Are Not Enough (Radio Edit)
B1 - I Know Him So Well (Almighty Mix)
B2 - I Know Him So Well (Radio Edit)


ALBUM NEWS

Woolworths are predicting that STEPS will slip down to No.7 on Sunday's album chart. They also predict that Robbie Williams will knock Westlife from the top spot with his new album, Swing When You're Winning.

In Ireland Gold has dropped to No.27 in their album chart.



STEPPY STUFF

Sorry that we haven't updated for the past two days, as you know we try to update daily, but there has been no news at all recently due to the fact that STEPS are having a few days off while they prepare for the start of their eagerly awaited Gold tour!

Talking of the tour don't worry while there's been no news to report on we've been working away setting up a few surprises that will coincide with the new tour - more details on that and how you can help soon!



22.11.01
TOUR NEWS

Thanks to John who has sent us a possible setlist for the Gold tour. Obviously we don't know if it's corect, but it sounds good and we'll all know the official setlist on Saturday anyway! Yep that right only 2 days until Gold madness hits the UK!!!!!!

Setlist:
1)CHAIN REACTION (XENOMANIA MIX)
2)SUMMER OF LOVE (W.I.P. EDIT)
3)BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW
4)HEARTBEAT
5)WORDS ARE NOT ENOUGH
6)BITTERSWEET (LISA)
7)HUMAN TOUCH (FAYES MIX)
8)MEDLY;STOMP/ONE FOR SORROW (US CLIP MIX)/AFTERTHE LOVE HAS GONE/5678
9)HERE AD NOW
10)BABY DON'T DANCE
11)ONLY IN MY DREAMS
12)GIVE IT UP (LEE)
13)WHEN I SAID GOODBYE (CLAIRES VERSION)
14)OXYGEN (H)
15)MEDLY;YOU'LL BE SORRY/ITWYMMF/LTOMM/BBF/DSOB
16)LOVE'S GOT A HOLD ON MY HEART
17)I KNOW HIM SO WELL (ALMIGHTY EDIT)
18)SAY YOU'LL BE MINE
19)TOO BUSY THINKING BOUT MY BABY
20)TRAGEDY
21)GREATEST HITS MEGAMIX (ALL THE SONGS FROM 5678 TO I KNOW HIM SO WELL)



SMASH HITS POLL WINNERS PARTY

STEPS have confirmed that they will be making an appearance at the Smash Hits Awards in London next month. Lets hope that they win some fab awards this year! Don't forget you can vot for them by clicking the button on the bottom of the page. And if you're feeling in a voting mood please vote for this site in the Top Of The Pops awards!



CHART COMPETITION

According to Dotmusic the release of the new single has definately been put back until 3rd December.
Here are all the releases for 3.12.01

100 Reasons - 'EP3' (Columbia)
Audio Drive - 'Don't Wanna Come' (Ultravinyl)
The Avalanches - 'Electricity' (XL)
Damage - 'After The Love Hads Gone' (Cooltempo)
Dr Dre feat. Knoc-turn' Al - 'Bad Intentions' (Polydor)
Dreem Teem Vs Artful Dodger - 'It Ain't Enough (ffrr)
Missy Elliot - 'Take Away' (Elektra/EastWest)
Sophie Ellis-Bextor - 'Murder On The Dancefloor' (Polydor)
Adam Goldstone feat Fonda Rae - 'Alternations' (Nuphonic)
Janet Jackson - 'Son Of A Gun' (Virgin)
Michael Jackson - 'Cry' (Epic)
John B - 'Pressure/Travelogue (Formation)
Liberty - 'Doing It' (V2/Public Demand)
Machine Head - 'Crashing Around You' (Roadrunner)
Stephen Malkmus - 'Jo Jos Jacket)
Middle Row - 'Today's The Day' (Cooltempo)
Cliff Richard - 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' (Papillon)
Royksopp - 'Poor Leno' (Wall Of Sound)
Nitin Sawhney - 'Cold And Intimate' (V2)
Simple Minds - 'Homosapien'
STEPS- 'WORDS ARE NOT ENOUGH/I KNOW HIM SO WELL'(Ebul/Jive)
Stereophonics - 'Handbags And Gladrags' (V2)



STEPPY STUFF

STEPS are featured in the new Top Of The Pops Year book out now priced 2.99



23.11.01
WORDS ARE NOT ENOUGH/I KNOW HIM SO WELL COVER AND NEWS

You can now pre-order the new single from HMV (www.hmv.co.uk) That's where we got this preview of the cover from. As you can see it features the computer graphic version of STEPS and it's actually quite a nice CD cover.
The tracklisting is the same as we already said:
1. Words Are Not Enough
2. I Know Him So Well
3. Bittersweet
They also wrote the following review:

STEPS keep their seemingly unstoppable momentum going with the release of this brilliant double-header. Lifted from the band's recent 'Gold' album, 'Words Are Not Enough' is a beautiful uplifting ballad that sees the whole group sounding better and more powerful than ever. While 'I Know Him So Well', a cover of the Barbara Dickson and Elaine Paige classic, was a highlight of last year's 'Abbamania' TV special and remains a live favourite. Add to these two singles a new track co-written by Lisa and you have an unmissable STEPS release.

EXTRA POLL WINNERS TICKETS ON SALE NOW

Extra tickets for this years Smash Hits Poll Winners Party went on sale this morning. STEPS have confirmed that they will be appearing at the event. The show takes place on Sunday 9th December at the London Arena, other acts conformed include Hear'Say and Emma Bunton. You can buy tickets exclusively online at www.aloud.com



STEPPY STUFF

There will be further updates to the site later including a new edition of Talking Point so look out for that :o)
We're working on some new sections at the moment and the tour special will be up tomorrow!



24.11.01
THE STEPS PARTY STARTS TONIGHT

It's finally arrived the STEPS party has hit the road and it kicks off tonight in Sheffield! This promises to be the biggest and best STEPS tour ever and we're so excited about it and we're sure you are too!
To celebrate we've launched our special STEPS tour special which you can access from the link on the front page!
If you're going to see STEPS tonight have STEPTACULAR time and don't forget to write in to us at stepshomeuk@aol.com and tell us how much you loved it!

Taken from STEPS Official:
STEPS - Gold Tour 2001
Tonight sees the start of the band's Gold Tour 2001 and they promise that this is going to be the biggest, most lavish STEPS party to hit the arenas of the UK - ever!
After a whole year off from touring the tension has been building up and everyone is now ready to unleash themselves in a pop musical frenzy. This is the band's 5th nation-wide tour, and there's a reason why people keep on coming back for more - they put on the best show they possibly can with amazing special effects and of course there's the music everyone knows and loves.
With 20 of the 30 dates of the tour completely sold out you now have very little time to get hold of a ticket to one of the concerts. However, there are still some available and a brand new Wembley date has recently gone on sale due to demand. You can order tickets over the phone by calling Ticket Line on 0161-832-1111
Year after year the popsters have proven that they know how to put on a show. As this is their Greatest Hits tour it's guaranteed to have all your favourite songs with an added twist. So get those tickets at the ready, polish up the dance moves and be prepared to dance the night away. STEPS are gonna bring the house down!



WORDS ARE NOT ENOUGH NEWS

The full length video for Words Are Not Enough will be included on the CD single out 03.12.01.



SATURDAY MEANS CHATTERDAY

For those of you who aren't going to see STEPS tonight there will be a chat on out chatroom from 8.00pm.



25.11.01
BABY DON'T DANCE TO BE NEW SINGLE

STEPS revealed, whilst on stage on the first night of their Gold tour in Sheffield, that their first single of 2002 will be the disco stomping Baby Don't Dance - we love that track here at STEPS Home UK so we're really pleased that the STEPSters are releasing it. We're sure that they have a huge hit on their hands!


THE GOLD TOUR SETLIST REVEALED

1. One For Sorrow (Remix)
2. Deeper Shade Of Blue (Remix)
3. Love's Got A Hold On My Heart
4. 5,6,7,8 (Dancers only)
5. Believe (H solo)
6. After The Love Has Gone
7. Heartbeat (Remix)
8. If You Believe (Remix - Faye Solo)
9. It's The Way You Make Me Feel
10. Hand On Your Heart (Claire Solo)
11. Words Are Not Enough
12. I Know Him So Well
13. Bittersweet (Lisa Solo)
14. Baby Don't Dance
15. We Got It Goin' On (Lee Solo)
16. You'll Be Sorry
17. Better The Devil You Know
18. Summer Of Love
19. Better Best Forgotten
20. Stomp
21. Tragedy
22. Chain Reaction



REPORT ON THE OPENING NIGHT IN SHEFFIELD

STEPS Home UK would like to tahnk Leanne for being our reporter in Sheffield last night. Check out the tour special for more reviews later today!

The 1st support act was Mark Kerrins who won BBC1's Star for a Night, he sang 2 songs and was brilliant. The 2nd was an unsigned boy group called DVS there were 4 boys who sang 2 songs and sounded very a1ish.
Onto Steps, at about 8.10 there was music playing and it was the I know him so well remix which was fast but good. After that there was a prologue of like orchestral music and graphics on the screens of steps songs and videos and toon etc. All the songs had clips played in orchestral format.
Steps finally came on Stage about 8.20 the girls had pink on the boys were darker, they moved forward on platfoms to perform a fast version of one for sorrow ( kindof a mix between the original and Tony Morans mix) followed by deeper shade of blue (these weren't live as the tracks and dances were very energetic). The stage was silvery with a gold backdrop and gold discs and heart banners, there were also two sets of small steps one at either side of the stage. The next track was Love's got a hold on my heart on which Faye sounded live but am not sure about the others. They then went off stage and on came five blokes (yes males) with steps like puppet heads on and they danced to 5678. After that I kindof expected this when i saw the wires b4 the show started, H appeared hanging above the audience, he then flew above the audience to the stage from the middle of the arena. The song he performed was Cher's Believe dancing with a star wars type light sabre! After that the girls appeared dressed a bit like genies and the whole group performed After the love has gone (not live). Next was a very cool surprise when they performed Heartbeat but it was remixed to be very R n Bish it was sung live and very groovy with a new dance routine! Next up was Here and now which I'm sure was live and it sounded great followed by Faye and her special surprise. She sang an R n B version of If you Believe whilst partly hanging from a cage like thing! She sang live very well. It was quite like a britney performance actually. She was wearing sum very baggy dungarees with Faye written on them too. Next up Lee and H got the crowd going before the band lined up to perform It's the way you make me feel stunningly and live with no dance routine. After this Claire blew us away with a fantastic rendition of hand on your heart (Live) she was wearing a beautiful ball gown. Next was a live rendition of Words are not enough followed by the girls again singin live I know him so well, during this they each were moved back and forth on platforms and surrounded by smoke. Afterwards was so sweet cos i caught a glimpse of Faye blowing a kiss each to Lisa and Claire. Next up was Lisa's live performance of Bittersweet which was very good. She wore a gold dress type thing. She sang whilst walking on a travellator and then ended by being lifted up over the audience on a silver chair like H! Next track was Baby don't dance which they said was the next single, they wore denims but didn't sing live. It has a very cool dance routine though. Following that was Last thing on my mind, sung live followed by Lee singin his song live, I think it was called We got it goin' on and the whole song and routine was very Ricky Martinish but good. Behind the group next were all the names of the albums in lights whilst they performed You'll be sorry with a wicked green line of lights sweeping the audience, the song wasn''t live. Next up was Better the devil you know with the hot flames and although not sung live was very good it was a kind of medley that went into Summer of Love (Live) then Better best forgotten (not live) then they disappeared through trapdoors on stage for yet another costume change. While this was happening we were treated to the video for Words are not enough and then a flashback through all the videos.
Next up was the grand finale wearing very Moulin Rouge type clothes they appeared on a platform at the back of the set with a Stomp remix beginning to play. Then to our surprise a long metal platform above the audience came down and steps mounted it and started walking along to the middle of the arena whilst performing Stomp (not live) they were waving at all of us and I'm sure we got a wave from Lee and H yay! Stomp then turned into Tragedy again performed above the audience but Live which was excellent! The whole audience were doing the dance too. Party poppers and streamers popped from the platform to end tragedy. The last song back on stage was Chain Reaction again live and fantastic, that song will always be in my head now and we all did the dance with the rest of the fans. To end was a big bang and explosion of sparks before the band said their goodbyes and off we went home buzzing with Steps!
The only tracks left out were Say you'll be mine, When I said goodbye and Only in my dreams which was a shame but they said at the beginning that it would be the best ever show and it definitely was, I'll never forget it and must get it on video! The show closed at 10.15 so we got nearly 2 hours of the steptacular Steps.

We've added more reviews of the stunning show to the tour special so make sure you check them out and if you're going to see STEPS on the Gold tour don't forget to send in your review to us at stepshomeuk@aol.com



HEAD CASES

Have the nice STEPS stars turned into Big Heads? Don't be dummies - it's the band's dancers wearing huge papier-mache busts of CLAIRE and the crew.
The hilarious set uis part of the group's stage act for their 29-date tour, which kicked off in Sheffield last night.

27.11.01
WESTLIFE VS STEPS ROUND TWO

A nice pop feud is brewing between Westlife and STEPS.
Singer Nicky Byrne thinks his chart rivals are coming to the end of their shelf life and won't be around for much longer.
Quizzed about which group he thought would come to an end next he said: "STEPS. I don't think they're churning out good music anymore. The songs they are releasing aren't as special as the stuff they did three or four years ago."
Miaow.
(The Mirror)
Jealousy is a terrible thing eh Nicky!



MEET 3SL

If you register for the 3SL mailing list you could win a chance to meet the boys themselves for more detials visit www.3sl.net


GOLD TOUR PICS

Many thanks to Matt(Spike) who has allowed us to use his excellent tour pics - you can see them on the tour special. You can also read what he and other fans say about the concert on the reviews part of the tour special and if you're going to see STEPS tonight in Glasgow have a fab time and don't forget to write a review and send it to us at steoshomeuk@aol.com



28.11.01
SMASH HITS REVIEW STEPS' NEW SINGLE AND VIDEO

The Video - Smash Hits Say:
Is it Gorillaz? No it's FAYE, LISA, LEE, H and CLAIRE in the most expensive STEPS video ever. And, thanks to a tonne of talented animators, it's possibly the best. Watch as CLAIRE is drawn into a magical mirror and transformed into her animated self, followed quickly by the rest of the band as they attempt to save her. A true STEPS Classic from Britain's most animated gang.

The Single - Smash Hits Say:
STEPS treat us to the classic cover I Know Him So Well and the sway along newie, Words Are Not Enough. Our first impressiins of Words Are Not Enough weren't great. But it's a grower and after a few listens you'll find yourself powerless to it's charms, crooning along with H like it's karaoke night down the youth club. Some folk reckon STEPS are over, but if they keep producing tracks like this, they'll be around for a long time.
4/5



STEPPY STUFF

If you're going to see STEPS in Glasgow tonight have a great night and don't forget to send us your review to stepshomeuk@aol.com

This weeks edition of Talking Point will be tomorrow instead of Friday so if you've got any questions you want answered or you have anything to say mail us with them before tomorrow afternoon.

Smash Hits is out now and features a fab interview with the ever so gorgeous H and it also has a few other Steppy bits and bobs in there to.

We've finished the new look gallery page today so check that out there's also some new pics added for you to see.



29.11.01
FAYE AND LISA GET A GRILLING

Jo: You have covered 2 songs written by the Bee Gees for other people. Would they ever write one just for you?
Lisa: Well, I know that they're fans of our covers 'cos they've told us so. It'd be nice if they could write us a song...(thinks)...They sent us a fax when we got to No.1 with 'Tragedy', and they said "Thank you for bring our music in to the '90s!" Which was very nice.

Tallulah: Do any of you play a musical instrument? If so, will you be playing it on tour?
Faye: Lots of us do. H has played the guitar, Lee dabbles on the piano. I do saxophone, guitar (badly), piano (OK) and I used to play violin at school.
Lisa: Who's left? Oh, me! I play the piano.
Faye: We don't play in Steps, we sing and dance in Steps. That's what it's about, and that's why it's called Steps really.
Lisa: You can't do all three, we're not bionic women, yet!

Laura Morris: What is your Christmas single going to be?
Lisa: It's called 'Words Are Not Enough'. It's off 'Gold', our greatest hits album and it's got the most amazing video. I've got to say I've not really said that about our videos before. I'm really, really pleased with this one, I think it's fantastic.
Faye: Your character is absolutely brilliant.
Lisa: It's just a great idea, the whole video. We're not really gonna tell you too much about it, 'cos it's gonna be a nice Christmas surprise.

Vicky Massy: Who is supporting you on tour?
Faye: Do you know, we're actually deep in conversion about the tour at the moment, and we were deciding on whether to have one or two support acts. But we haven't got any names as yet. So we're open to your suggestions!
Lisa: Yeah, we're open to offers!
Faye: You're gonna get a great show, you're gonna know every song. But we are gonna twist a few of the songs, have remixes and just play around with them onstage, so it should be fun.

Jo: The 'Gold' album is said to be the closure of one chapter and the begining of another. What can we expect from the next chapter?
Faye: That was a quote from Lisa!
Lisa: That was wasn't it? Very good! To be honest with you, it's a really exciting time for us, because we have just released our greatest hits and I think we could go two ways. We could carry on doing Steps music as we all know it, or we could have a bit of a twist on the old pop music and develop and evolve. We'd still be pop because that's what we do best.

Neil: What question do you hate being asked the most?
Faye: That one! No, I think our least favourite question would be 'Are you splitting up?'. A rumour was started about this, two-and-a-half years ago, and we're doing very well and we've got some great loyal fans. And no, we're not.

Vicky Hagger: How do you feel about the break-up of Five?
Lisa: I think it's quite sad for us really, 'cos they started out about 6 months before us, and we've gone through our careers watching each other. They were a great band who had great music.
Faye: They've got a great album out now, so it's such a shame. I think they've always had fantastic music and been a really positive male role model, er, in some ways! (giggles)
Lisa: I think it makes us feel really lucky. They didn't get on like a house on fire like we do and I think that's one of the reasons we're still here. People like to think that you're fighting and you don't get on, but we genuinely do. That's one thing that we did have over Five.

Gemma Bishop: What is your favourite ever Steps song to peform and why?
Lisa: For me, I'd say 'Deeper Shade of Blue', because I've always liked my dance music, and it's more down my road. Also, it's got a wicked dance routine and everybody knows it. It's a bit more edgy than the rest of the stuff.
Faye: I was gonna say exactly the same thing, so I'll change mine to say 'It's The Way You Make Me Feel'. That's the first song where all of us had a strong main vocal. It's great to sing live and it's just a very, very beautiful song.

Katie: Faye, do you think your wedding will be anything like the 'Tragedy' video?
Faye: I hope not! No, I've got some wonderful plans for my wedding and I don't want it to be a tragedy, thank you! You know that little scooter thing that's in the video? H has actually got one, so he won't be invited..!

Andrea Casey: Is it true that the 'Gold' tour is going to be released on video?
Lisa: It is true and we're really excited. We were really proud of the last tour and they didn't record it! Now we've got our own way, and it's gonna be the best tour ever. That's why we're filming it. Film is forever!
Faye: The video'll be out early next year. That's when it'll be cut down and beautifully edited.

Michaela: When you were going through pictures for your new book, were there any you couldn't bear to look at?
Faye: Yes, and some were taken out as well! There were some that weren't our favourite photos, and we didn't want everyone ogling at them, so we took them out.
Lisa: I think we were quite flexible, we could have taken out half of them because someone would have said 'I look rough in that one'. At the end of the day, people want to see you as people. They see the pop stars, they can buy all the magazines, like Top of the Pops magazine, and they can see us after we've been styled. I think there are some pictures in there from our last tour and we're just on the beach and we've taken them ourselves. A lot of the pictures are from our own collections and I think it's nice to see a bit of rawness.

Martin: My question is for H, don't you think it's about time you changed your hair?
Faye: It's quite funny, because H used to have his sort of 'Golden M' - that's what we used to call it. He has changed his hairstyle now, but it took him 10 years to get away from that one. I think we could be waiting a long time for the next one...

Sally Ann: Lisa, I thought it was very brave of you to wear a brace on TOTP. Did you get nervous about it?
Lisa: I didn't really. It was just something that I wanted to do. I knew I couldn't take a year off and not be seen by in public. I still had to do my photos and my TVs. So I knew that when I went for one. It was well worth doing, because now I see pictures of myself and I think 'I've got a new smile!' and I like it. I got a lot of support from parents and fans. I got people saying 'I've got to have a brace next week, and you've made it a bit easier for me', and that's lovely. I've had some lovely letters.
Faye: It's funny, I've got a little friend who's got braces on both sets of teeth. I phoned Lisa and said 'She doesn't know what to eat, what shall I make for tea?'
Lisa: I was Auntie Brace!


STEPPY STUFF

STEPS are performing yet another show in Glasgow tonight - so have fun if you're going and don't forget to send us your review!

There'll be a couple more updates to the site this evening and we're working on some new sections and a Christmas special...

Just a quick note to a few people who have been complaining about various things. We get on average around 300 hits a day on this site and therefore we have to cater for the majority rather than individual needs. We're sure you understand how busy we are and how difficult it is to keep you all happy 100% of the time and that is why we will continue to be ruled by the majority and not by individuals.