Not much Steps news this month. The new single Chain Reaction isn’t due until September so a video probably won’t surface until next month.

Here’s some off-topic UK Chart news. Firstly, it was Britney Spears with her poor single Don’t Let Me Be The Last To Know which failed to enter the UK top 10 ending her run of UK top 10 singles. Now the Backstreet Boys have failed to enter the top 10 with their single More Than That. Will this be enough to show Jive Records both in the UK and the US that their big US stars can’t keep releasing singles with little to no promotion and expect them to chart highly in the UK?

The same goes for Steps in the US! Do they expect Steps to do well in the US with little-to-no promotion? No idea! But whatever Jive Records have been doing over the past year or so, they really need to change their attitudes towards promotion! It seems that Jive or whoever chose to release More Than That has ended the Backstreet Boys’ run of 13 consecutive Top 10 hits, with this being their lowest-charting single since 1996! Jive sort it out please!

More on the new Steps single from Worldpop:

Both Steps and Hear’Say previewed a track each live, outside of a TV studio, for the first time today at the Mardi Gras festival in London’s Finsbury Park.

Steps performed their forthcoming new single Chain Reaction to a rapturous reception from the crowd but the fivesome revealed to Worldpop that they had known nothing of this first performance until the previous Tuesday.

“We saw the set list and we thought, ‘Oh no! How are we ever going to be ready in time’,” confessed Faye before adding: “We had to rehearse the dance routine in just 2 hours.”

The band are really pleased with their cover of the classic hit but when Worldpop enquired why they had chosen to record the track Claire joked, “Our manager’s getting a back-hander from the Bee Gees!” referring to the famous brothers who wrote both Chain Reaction and Steps’ previous cover hit Tragedy.

They were also quick to insist that the track is so much more than just another cover version.

“People will be thinking, ‘Oh no, Steps are murdering another pop song’,” joked Faye before adding more seriously: “We’re really pleased with how it’s come out. It’s not just another pop band doing another cover.”

The group has ditched their old look of outfits in matching colours in favour of a casual image topped off by a pair of mirrored sunglasses for Lee. They also gained a new fan – Penny from the Big Brother household. The first contestant out of the house introduced Steps before they hit the stage and said she “really enjoyed their performance”. Penny will be introducing Hear’Say tonight at London’s G-A-Y. club.

Meanwhile, Hear’Say took to the stage to give the waiting crowds a rendition of Boogie Wonderland which they’ve previously only performed in a TV special.

A lot of people have e-mailed me asking for details on the Steps day at LegoLand, well here are the details again:

Now if you are still undecided whether to go, maybe this will change your mind. Remember Steps 2 The Stars when we all voted for the GenSTEPS visitors who were in the show? Well they are set to perform at this event!

Steps fan day at LegoLand – 25 August 2001

What’s it all about? The STEPSfan day will take place on Saturday 25 August 2001 at Legoland, Windsor, Berkshire, SL4 4AY. The idea is to provide a safe and fun place for STteps fans to meet and have fun.

This is a genuine event, Byrne Blood, Zomba records and indeed Steps themselves are all aware of it and Lisa has already said what a great idea it is. Lisa has also already said she has 25 t-shirts, which she is going to get signed, to give away as prizes and promised that she will do her best to collect some autographed pictures of Steps for us to give away as well as supporting us along with her mother Jan in any way they can.

The schedule:

10:00 am
Legoland opens. Guests to enter the park and make their way to the Pavilions, our base for the day and night. Register, say hello and then you are free to explore the wonders of Legoland.

1:45 pm
Steps video show in the Pavilions. Hopefully STEPS [email protected]

4:00 pm
STEPS video show in the Pavilions. Hopefully STEPS: The Next Step Live

6:30 pm
Buffet meal in the Pavilions.

7:00 pm
Park closes and all Steps fans should be back in the Pavilions by now.

7:15 pm
Disco starts. Free Steps give-aways for the lucky few. Plus karaoke.

Midnight
Disco finishes and it’s time to say your goodbyes.

We hope to cram loads more in, including even more Steps videos. Legoland prices for refreshments are in line with most theme parks, around £2.10 for a burger, with an extra 30 pence for cheese and £1.50 for a Coke, that’s why our prices include a buffet meal in the evening if required, we also hope to be selling a limited number of cans of soft drinks for around 50 pence each from the Pavilions. We suggest you bring a packed lunch, you can leave this in the Pavilions and return for it whenever you want.

Ticket costs are as follows:

Adults with food £22.00
Adults without food £18.00
Children with food £18.50
Children without food £13.00

Tickets can be purchased by cheque or credit card. If you are paying by cheque please email me first with your name and the number of tickets required, we will then reserve your tickets for seven days and reply giving you the address to send you cheque to. Please make cheques payable to “RnDs STEPS club” and not to myself. We will also ask you to include a stamped addressed envelope. If you wish to pay by credit card again please email with your name and number of tickets required, we will then e-mail you with details of how to contact us with your card details, please DO NOT SEND YOUR DETAILS BY EMAIL. As I do not have the facilities to take credit card payments my accountants have agreed to do this on my behalf, but they will charge an extra 3% on top of the transaction total plus 70 pence for their administration costs.

The food.

This is the food which will be provided for people who are paying full price ( ticket + food ):

* Selection of cold meats, cheese, a egg and cress mayonnaise*
* fresh buttered bread rolls and French stick*
* sausage rolls
* selection of chocolate bars (Mars, KitKat etc.)
* selection of crisps

*The selection above is for the guests to make their own sandwiches.

As Legoland closes to the general public at 7pm. you will not be able to purchase food after this time. To keep the cost of our tickets down the food included in our price will be a basic buffet style meal.

Do you remember Lori, Kimberley and Rachel, from STEPS II The Stars? They have agreed to perform two routines at Legoland during the day, the times have still to be confirmed.