There have been plenty of parallels drawn between Steps and ABBA over the years.
But unlike the Swedish superstars, Steps have vowed to continue performing until they are singing Tragedy in mirrorballed mobility scooters – as holograms are a bit too expensive.
The group are celebrating their 25th anniversary together, and will spend the summer performing at festivals.
And they reckon they still have a long time to go. “We joke about a zimmer-frame tour,” laughs Lee Latchford Evans, 47, but Claire Richards, 44, has already gone one better, having located “mobility scooters completely encrusted with crystals and stuff” at a posh pharmacist in West London.
“They would be perfect for us,” she says, adding that a veteran tour might prove tricky with their routines. “Our core show is based in dance. I would love to be still that fit and that active in my 70s.”
ABBA – who are in their 70s – spent £140million producing their ABBAtar show, developing hi-tech holograms of themselves, and constructing an arena in East London for them to perform, which Steps admit might be a bit too steep for them.
“I’m not sure the revenue’s there,” laughs Claire. “It’s cutting edge technology, the first of its kind. It’ll become more commonplace. We’ll do it when it’s cheaper.”
Lee adds: “If we had the money to afford to do that, I’d rather take the money thanks.”
Steps release a new Greatest Hits album featuring two new tracks, The Platinum Collection, on August 19.
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Liam Gallagher
Liam Gallagher has ruled out an appearance on I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! because he is so petrified of bugs he reckons they would need to pay him a fortune to appear.
“I’m a s***bag when it comes to spiders and stuff like that, man,” he tells LADbible “I’m not into creepy-crawlies. They wouldn’t have the money. They haven’t got the budget to get me in there.
“I wouldn’t do it. I’d rather just walk the streets and beg, you know what I mean… if I needed the money.”
Let’s put him down as a definite maybe.
Kiss
Rockers Kiss took over a fleet of buggies backstage at Download festival, arriving to their Friday night slot at Donington Park in four separate cars.
A bit of space is probably just what the group need, after five decades together as a band.
Paul Stanley, 70, admits of bandmate Gene Simmons, 72: “There are times I’ve wanted to smack him in the head. But Gene has mellowed – he’s become more quirky, like a crazy uncle.”
The group have said their current tour will be their last.
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