Live Review: Steps – 10th July 2018 – Kew The Music, London, UK
4 min read
After a lengthy separation from the world of pop megastardom, 5 piece pop collective Steps made a very welcome return to the live stage in 2012 and offered us a greater hits package and festive covers collection before taking a well deserved break to absorb their reclaimed success with fans who had waited a very long time for Claire, Faye, H, Lisa and Lee to make their comeback. After 2 years away the band made a solid return to the charts with their first studio record of all new tracks with Tears on the Dancefloor which offered us a stunning, sugary drenched record overflowing with the same pop giants the band was famous for producing throughout their nineties heyday, but with a modern, revitalised dressing that captured a whole new generation of Steppers.
Following the outfits hugely successful and sold out arena tour to support the record, the band took no time at all in returning to the road to take advantage of the summer months and an opportunity to dominate some of the warm seasons outdoor sages around the UK as they revealed a brand new Summer of Steps tour for their fans.
Having already performed in London as part of Greenwich Music Times Festival, the beautiful green settings of Kew Gardens was the next stop for the band as they headlined last nights Kew The Music.
While the stage set up for this latest string of dates was much more scaled back from the bands Party on the Dancefloor arena dates, they were still able to deliver a truly remarkable performance for an audience who lounged on the grass of the Gardens with a plastic flute of champagne and strawberries at the ready.
Following a warm up by Eurovision entrant Sarah Aalto and ABBA tribute act Bjorn Again, the intro to Summer of Love began and the band took their positions on stage to deliver a flower-power inspired rendition of the colourful song before offering flawless performances of Better The Devil You Know and stripped back versions of Say You’ll Be Mine and It’s The Way You Make Me Feel; both tracks showcasing the groups impeccable vocal skills as they soared over the huge crowd that had descended on the Gardens for the first night of the outdoor series.
Chain Reaction had the audiences pulse on overdrive with the band playing doctors and nurses with their backing dances while the disco glitz of Stomp had the crowd on their feet and grinding along with their idols who delivered the tracks famous dance moves alongside dancers wearing giant disco ball head pieces and disco ball inspired tracksuits.
Nostalgia was poured heavily throughout the bands set as hit after hit found a nesting spot during the groups 90 minute stage time. While the sound of last nights performance could have been better – the wind picking up around the start time of the show threw some of the songs a little as it traveled across the grounds – the band offered their audience a memorable rewind through 90’s British pop music as its best with some of the most successful hits of the decade like the closing Tragedy, Last Thing On My Mind, Better Best Forgotten, 5, 6, 7, 8 and Claire’s awe-inspiring power ballad moment on One For Sorrow found a home during the evening and all of which welcomed newcomers Neon Blue, Tears on the Dancefloor, Glitter and Gold and Scared Of The Dark into the Steps live set with open arms.
Once again Steps turned out a show overflowing with stellar vocals, eye-popping visuals and uplifting hits at a time when the country really needs something to smile about. Leaving the venue everyone had a smile on their face as they spoke about the concert or their love of the five-piece. An absolutely fantastic show from start to end!
Setlist:
Summer of Love
Better the Devil You Know
5, 6, 7, 8
Say You’ll Be Mine
It’s the Way You Make Me Feel
Chain Reaction
Heartbeat
Stomp
Glitter & Gold
No More Tears On The Dancefloor
Better Best Forgotten/Last Thing on My Mind
Neon Blue
Love U More / You’ll Be Sorry / After the Love Has Gone / Love’s Got a Hold on My Heart
Encore:
Deeper Shade of Blue
Scared of the Dark
One for Sorrow
Tragedy
::: RenownedForSound.com’s Editor and Founder –
Interviewing and reviewing the best in new music and globally recognized artists is his passion.
Over the years he has been lucky enough to review thousands of music releases and concerts and interview artists ranging from top selling superstars like 27-time Grammy Award winner Alison Krauss, Boyz II Men, Roxette, Cyndi Lauper, Lisa Loeb and iconic Eagles front man/songwriter, Glenn Frey through to more recent successes including Newton Faulkner, Janelle Monae and Caro Emerald.
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