THEY have been brightening up the pop world for 27 years but there is plenty of steam left in Steps.
My favourite Nineties group have just announced their own jukebox musical, have now revealed they plan to turn it into a movie, and also aim to perform at Glastonbury.
Such epic plans were unthinkable when they first burst into the charts in 1997 with the novelty single 5, 6, 7, 8, but they reckon people underestimating them is the secret to their success.
In their only tabloid interview at the launch event for the musical Here & Now, Ian ‘H’ Watkins said: “I love that people underestimate us.
“People always expect us to be bubblegum cheesy pop but we are far deeper than that. It goes on so many different levels.
“People completely underestimate us and then we throw a curveball and blow everybody away. The critics laughed at us but we are having the last laugh.”
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Lisa Scott-Lee said: “We never thought we’d be here 27 years on. That’s why we feel so blessed, because none of us expected to still be having this longevity in what is a very tough industry.”
A decade in the making, Here & Now features Steps songs but not the band themselves.
It will open at Birmingham’s Alexandra Theatre on November 9, and fans snapped up 10,000 tickets within hours of them going on sale on Friday.
Claire Richards said of the show: “It’s set in a superstore and it’s about a group of friends who work there and they kind of make a pact with each other to have a summer of love.
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“It’s about the ups and downs. There are teary bits.”
Steps were the soundtrack of my youth, so I can’t wait to hear hits such as One For Sorrow, Stomp and Tragedy all over again.
But Faye Tozer said: “We wanted to make a standalone musical theatre piece that could be for people who don’t know our music.
“It was important for us to get the story right, which is why it has taken this long and the right team’s fallen into place now. It’s been on our minds for at least ten years.”
Even though the show won’t open for nine months, Steps — who scored their fourth No1 album in 2022 with Platinum Collection — already hope for a film version.
Lee Latchford-Evans said: “It could become a movie. I think we have to see how it goes.”
Claire continued: “I was listening to the script yesterday and I can see it. It’s there.”
And Lisa added: “It would be a dream come true. We have all discussed it in hope.”
The group said there is someone they are expecting to beg to be in the show — Steps superfan and Claire’s best mate, Rylan Clark.
As to whether he has asked yet, she said: “I haven’t had that discussion yet but I’m sure he will at some point.
He can sing.” And as if I couldn’t love Steps any more, they have also shown their commitment to their fans by keeping the ticket prices affordable, with seats starting at £13.
Claire said: “We always try to do that. Even with the tours, our tickets aren’t ridiculously priced, compared to other acts.”
Steps have teased that the production could include new songs, although they don’t plan to make any albums until their 30th anniversary in 2027, when they hope to tick off another major bucket list item — performing at Glastonbury.
Over the last few years the festival has had Sugababes and McFly causing pandemonium with their performances there, so in my view it’s time Steps got their chance to perform on the Pyramid Stage.
H said: “We want to do Glastonbury. Elton John waited 50 years to do it.”
But Lee teased: “We’re not going to wait that long though.”
I certainly hope not.
OASIS, Mariah Carey and the late, great Sinead O’Connor are among the nominees to enter the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year.
The full list of acts includes Cher, Sade, Mary J Blige, Jane’s Addiction, A Tribe Called Quest, Dave Matthews Band, Peter Frampton, Eric B & Rakim, Foreigner, Kool & The Gang, Lenny Kravitz and Ozzy Osbourne.
Nominees must have been commercially successful for at least 25 years to be eligible, with the shortlist due out in the coming months.
Ozzy was previously inducted as part of Black Sabbath but wife Sharon hit out over him not being recognised as a solo act.
She said: “I will never beg. And I will never ask for favours. So, my thing is, f*** you if you don’t realise somebody really deserves to be here. And you don’t recognise that? Then, see ya!”
SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR’S hopes of finally reaching No 1 with Murder On The Dancefloor are fading fast because of US singer-songwriter Noah Kahan.
He could score a seventh week at No1 this Friday with Stick Season, after keeping her at No 2 for four weeks.
Sophie’s song peaked at No 2 when first released in 2001, but has had a massive resurgence in recent weeks after being used in the final scene of the movie Saltburn.
But midweek data from Official Charts shows Sophie’s tune is set to slip to No 3, with Teddy Swims’ Lose Control taking her spot.
Elsewhere, Ella Henderson could net a ninth Top Ten single with her Rudimental collaboration Alibi as it sails up the charts.
It is currently at No 11.
The week in bizness
TUESDAY: KIM PETRAS will bring her Feed The Beast world tour to the UK – marking her first full-length shows in the UK in four years.
The Unholy singer kicks things off in Birmingham, before shows in Glasgow on Thursday, Manchester on Friday and London on Monday.
THURSDAY: The all-star cast of Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Timothee Chalamet and Austin Butler will descend on London’s Leicester Square for the world premiere of Dune: Part Two.
They will officially launch the sci-fi sequel in the capital before its release on March 1.
FRIDAY: There will be plenty of new tunes to listen to as Paloma Faith drops her new album The Glorification Of Sadness, all about her heartbreaking split from her husband.
On the flip side, Jennifer Lopez will release her album This Is Me . . . Now, which is inspired by her rekindled romance with Ben Affleck, who she married in 2022.
SUNDAY: Movie stars will jet into the UK for the EE Bafta Film Awards at London’s Southbank Centre, hosted by David Tennant.
Oppenheimer leads with 13 nominations, followed by Poor Things, starring Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo, with 11.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor will perform Murder On The Dancefloor at the event following the song’s resurgence in the film Saltburn.
GOOD to see a smile back on Jesy Nelson’s face after a rocky few years.
It’s fair to say she hasn’t had the easiest time since quitting Little Mix in 2020 but she has now spent several months travelling the globe and it looks like it’s done her the power of good.
The Shout Out To My Ex singer shared this snap of herself pouting on a beach in Sydney, Australia, during her latest trip with rapper boyfriend Zion Foster.
Taking time out from music is the best thing she could have done, if you ask me. I just hope she doesn’t feel the need to race back into it before she’s ready.
PARTY PEOPLE
I DOUBT many are genuine NFL fans, but stars were out in force in Las Vegas at the weekend ahead of the Super Bowl.
Rapper Ice Spice wore a see-through black outfit, which exposed her underwear for a party on Saturday night, also attended by model Winnie Harlow.
Meanwhile, Jay-Z threw a bash and Leonardo DiCaprio was spotted watching U2 during the band’s residency in Sin City.
On the same day, sisters Kim and Khloe Kardashian were also living it up nearby.
Kim was wearing a cowboy hat to pose with Power actress La La Anthony.
The reality star was also spotted with new boyfriend Odell Beckham JR, who is 12 years her junior.
Kim has been secretly dating the NFL player for months and they were finally snapped together on Saturday.
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Odell’s team the Baltimore Ravens were not competing in last night’s game, so that should have given him a chance to teach Kim the rules of American football.
I could certainly do with some pointers.
