Love them or loathe them, Steps seem set to bounce back on to the British music scene this year with their new album being released next month and a rapidly selling out tour of Britain lined up for the winter months. Their intentions seem clear as the “Party on the Dancefloor” tour will cover the length and breadth of the home nations, barely drawing breath as the popular five-strong group seek to cajole their army of fans to dance, sing and enjoy the party experience alongside their favourite band.

Tickets selling fast

Due to heavy advance ticket interest, extra dates have already been added to the new British tour, which now begins in Belfast at the SSE Arena on 12th November.

Dublin and Glasgow are the next ports of call, before later events in London, Cardiff, Manchester and Birmingham. Tickets are selling fast, with many of the opening venues already believed to have sold out, including early dates at Aberdeen, Liverpool and Newcastle.

Line-dance beginnings

Since their bubbly emergence into the UK charts back in the late 1990s with line-dancing track “5,6,7,8”, their warm smiles, melodic harmonies and determination not to take themselves too seriously have appealed to millions, in much the same manner as the annual shindig that is the Eurovision Song Contest does.

New album out next month

Their new albumTears on the Dancefloor” is due out on April 21st, including a cover of the track “Story of a Heart” which was created by Abba’s finest, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Anderson.

Five years on from their reformation, the band have also recently released a comeback single “Scared Of The Dark”.

Sporting a slightly more mature and seasoned look than many fans will remember from their heady days at the start of the new millennium, Steps’ original members Faye Tozer, Lisa Scott-Lee, Claire Richards, Lee Latchford-Evans and “H” (aka Ian Watkins) are all once again back in the fold.

Topped the charts

Formed back in 1997, their initial burst of musical activity up to 2001 spawned two number one singles (“Heartbeat / Tragedy”, “Stomp”) and two number one albums in the UK, as their worldwide sales surpassed 20 million units. It couldn’t last though as their devoted followers were left devastated at the break-up on Boxing Day 2001, when both male members of the band left the group.

Vengaboys add to the party theme

A special bonus for pop music lovers will come in the welcome form of the addition of the Vengaboys to the Steps’ tour. The Rotterdam-based dance music songsters are no strangers to the British public, with smash hits such as “Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom”, “We Like to Party” and the irritatingly catchy “We’re Going to Ibiza” sure to dovetail neatly with the party theme.