There was much excitement for the STEPS gig last December but sadly the pandemic hits, and the show was cancelled. Tragedy averted though, the date is now rescheduled for this June.

There was only two dates left on the tour when Covid hit, the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff and the International Centre in Bournemouth. But when Covid strikes, everything comes to a halt.

Ian posted a Twitter message at the time explaining the situation with an update…….

Six studio albums, 23 years performing together (give or take), and more live dates than you could even count, I think it’s fair to say that STEPS are one of our most enduring and most loved pop bands. And now, three years after the hugely successful ‘Tears On The Dancefloor’ they are back with a new album and live dates, one of which will bring them to Cardiff in 2022 now.

The wait may be long but the gig is going to be one night to remember as Steps have Sophie Ellis-Bextor opening the show for them. Everyone in their seats nice and early we reckon (no guarantees she will be on the dates next year of course).

We knew something was imminent when they announced the tour as Claire, Faye, H, Lee and Lisa we’re teasing us on social media. The band each tweeted a picture with them standing in front of a huge illuminated letter, which when put together spelled out their name.

Three years after they staged that incredible comeback, Steps look set to do it all over again with their new album, What The Future Holds, and what we know will be an epic live show.

Speaking of the album and tour, Steps told us……..

“We will never forget the past with Steps, it’s what made us, but we’ve got to look to the future too. We were so thrilled that the last album was a success and it gave us a new lease of life. Performing live has always been our favourite part of being in Steps – we had the most fun of our career on the last tour and we’re already planning for the next one to be our biggest spectacle yet.”

“We’re also thrilled to have Sophie Ellis-Bextor as our special guest on the What The Future Holds 2021 Tour – her catalogue is full of floor-fillers and she knows how to get any party started. We are so excited for everyone to hear this new album and to come join us on tour.”

They got together in 1997 and it wasn’t long before they were filling the charts, and our ears, with some of the catchiest tunes around. Their debut album, ‘Step One’, in 1998, made top three in the UK and featured some of our favourite tracks. Watch the video and I guarantee you’ll be singing it all day long – we are.

The second album ‘Steptacular’, came out in 1999, and went straight to number one, we were well and truly hooked by then. The final album (for a while), ‘Buzz’, came out in 2000, a year before they split in 2001.

But with a catalogue of catchy songs, it would be a TRAGEDY (see what we did there), if the band left it at that. And sure enough they reformed 10 years later following a Sky Living show which looked at their break-up, the aftermath, and then the reunion we’d waited for.

Of course we wanted to hear the hits, but with and the release of their fourth album, ‘Light Up the World’, and then the fifth record, ‘Tears on the Dancefloor’, in 2017, we knew Steps were here to stay. No one, not even the band, could have predicted just how successful the last album was. If you haven’t dipped into it for a while, stream it, grab the CD and give it another listen.

The album saw them reunite with writers including Fiona Bevan (One Direction, Lewis Capaldi), Ina Wroldsen (Shakira, Britney Spears) and Karl Twigg (who worked on their first three albums). Steps have also revealed the band worked with Sia for one of the tracks, which they described as an ‘amazing’ experience.

And now, WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS (PART 2) has just been released, in a host of formats, including a fab coloured vinyl.

The guys have a load of dates in the diary this year, and they are playing some pretty big festivals. The rescheduled Cardiff date fits around that tour, an in fact kicks it all off in June.

STEPS will now get to the Motorpoint Arena on Wednesday 1st June, existing tickets are still valid. For more details, and to get your tickets, go here. STEPS