Glitter & Gold: The Original Steps Podcast

After an incredible UK and Ireland tour, Here & Now - The Steps Musical has come to an end (hopefully not for the last time) and we're celebrating the remarkable journey of a show that exceeded every expectation.In this special retrospective episode, we look back at the creation, success and legacy of the musical, from its earliest beginnings to a UK tour that won over audiences and critics alike, earning a WhatsOnStage Award nomination for Best New Musical.We're joined by some very special guests who helped bring the show to life, with exclusive voice notes and messages from Shaun Kitchener, Finty Williams, Lara Denning, Lauren Woolf, Ben Darcy, Alex Christian, Genevieve Taylor and Markus Södergren. We also hear from Steps fans David and Nicola, who share their own memories and reflections on what the show meant to them.Together, we celebrate the cast, creatives, crew and fans who made Here & Now such a special chapter in Steps history. Whether you saw the show once, followed the tour around the country, or simply loved hearing Steps music on stage, this is our love letter to a musical that will never be forgotten.Follow ‘Glitter & Gold: The Original Steps Podcast’:Instagram & TikTok: @glitterstepspodScott: @scottlove87Shane: @stepmeisterBrad: @bradszmerlingEmail: glitterstepspod@gmail.com Logo & Brand Design: BvrlyCreativeThis podcast is recorded on the land of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're delighted to be joined by global hit songwriter and producer Andy Goldmark, who co-wrote four songs for Steps’ third studio album Buzz.Andy reminisces on being asked to A&R the album and his involvement in writing and producing "Buzzz", "Happy Go Lucky", "Mars & Venus" and "Wouldn’t Hurt So Bad", and what it was like working with the band during the early 2000s. He also reveals which track he wanted a certain American rapper on as a feature artist to help launch them into the American market.We also touch on his incredible career, from discovering Jennifer Paige and her global hit "Crush" to becoming Vice President of A&R at Jive Records.Follow ‘Glitter & Gold: The Original Steps Podcast’:Instagram, TikTok & X: @glitterstepspodScott: @scottlove87Shane: @stepmeisterBrad: @bradszmerlingEmail: glitterstepspod@gmail.com Logo & Brand Design: BvrlyCreativeThis podcast is recorded on the land of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ooo Ooo!! The tour rewatch continues as we look back at the Summer 2000 Arena Tour - a massive step up from the previous year’s Next Step Tour. No space buggies or rocket ships this time; instead, we’re treated to a Gothic City set, with the band determined to prove they’d grown up and earned their status as the best-selling British live act.The tour ran for 31 dates, including a special June 10th show at Wembley for 1,000 lucky competition winners. That performance was recorded for VHS and released to coincide with their third album, Buzz. Following the tour’s success in May, five additional open-air shows were added with the same set list, bringing the total to 36 - their longest to date.There’s so much to unpack in this show: H’s iconic performance of Lay All Your Love On Me (serving acrobatics Pink could only dream of), Faye and Lee teasing solo tracks that still haven’t seen the light of day (release R Dancing from the vaults please), and of course, the debut of the infamous Steptoons.Follow ‘Glitter & Gold: The Original Steps Podcast’:Instagram, TikTok & X: @glitterstepspodScott: @scottlove87Shane: @stepmeisterBrad: @bradszmerlingEmail: glitterstepspod@gmail.com Logo & Brand Design: BvrlyCreative Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

GO STEPS, GO STEPS!!! Strap into the Steps space buggy and blast off with us to the glittering world of 1999, as we relive one of the most iconic pop arena tours the UK has ever seen.We take a nostalgic deep dive into The Next Step Tour, the Steptacular arena tour that didn’t just break records - it redefined what a pop concert could be. With its ground breaking staging, high-octane dance routines, and wall-to-wall hits, the tour transformed arenas into dance floors night after night.Drawing over 350,000 fans across 33 sold-out shows, The Next Step Tour earned its place in UK music history as the biggest pop tour of all time. It helped cement Steps' reputation as a live powerhouse - and earned them the BRIT Award for Best Selling Live Act of 1999.From Scotts personal memories of seeing the concert IRL, to the lasting impact it had on Shane and Brad (it was the perfect way to learn those dance routines), we rewatch a tour that laid the foundation for the group’s legacy as one of pop’s most beloved live acts.Here & Now - The Steps Musical is touring the UK and Ireland in 2025/26. Tickets are on sale now via https://thestepsmusical.com/Follow ‘Glitter & Gold: The Original Steps Podcast’:Instagram, TikTok & X: @glitterstepspodScott: @scottlove87Shane: @stepmeisterBrad: @bradszmerlingEmail: glitterstepspod@gmail.com Logo & Brand Design: BvrlyCreative Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s the supergroup you never knew you needed and the most fabulously chaotic episode we have ever done.Joining us on the pod to help celebrate our 30th episode is the iconic young divas from Right Back At Ya! Joel and David.As we manifest potential new music in 2027 for the 30th anniversary, we each bring 2 songs that we believe Steps should cover for the ultimate 10 track album. Listen to the G&G x RBAY playlist on SpotifyFollow 'Right Back At Ya!' @rightbackpod on Instagram, TikTok & XHere & Now - The Steps Musical is touring the UK and Ireland in 2025/26. Tickets are on sale now via https://thestepsmusical.com/Follow ‘Glitter & Gold: The Original Steps Podcast’:Instagram, TikTok & X: @glitterstepspodScott: @scottlove87Shane: @stepmeisterBrad: @bradszmerlingEmail: glitterstepspod@gmail.com Logo & Brand Design: BvrlyCreative Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are beyond thrilled and honoured to have the legendary Mr. Chris Fox on the podcast to talk to us about his involvement in the Steps 25 campaign in 2022. This included restoring, remastering and recreating over 60 (!!!) incredible Steps music videos, live performances and never before seen footage from the Sony music archives.He is also responsible for producing the Platinum Megamix music video which involved creating a stack of 21 colourful boxes, each intricately themed to match iconic imagery from the featured songs - drawing inspiration from the album art, music videos and performances. Chris continues to work for ICONIC acts like The Spice Girls, S Club 7 and Girls Aloud (legends only) breathing new life into there music video discography, ensuring that their online releases meet the highest standards of quality and stand the test of time.You can follow Chris Fox on Instagram @chrisfox and find out more information about his creative work via https://www.bringitallback.co.uk/Here & Now - The Steps Musical is touring the UK and Ireland in 2025/26. Tickets are on sale now via https://thestepsmusical.com/Follow ‘Glitter & Gold: The Original Steps Podcast’:Instagram, TikTok & X: @glitterstepspodScott: @scottlove87Shane: @stepmeisterBrad: @bradszmerlingEmail: glitterstepspod@gmail.com Logo & Brand Design: BvrlyCreative Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have been building up to this very special episode all year. With the opening night of 'Here & Now' just days away, we are thrilled to have writer of the show Shaun Kitchener on the podcast to tell us everything he is legally allowed to say before November 9th.Is 'Experienced' the encore in the show? Does 'Words of Wisdom' make an appearance? Is there still time to work 'Hard 2 Forget' into the show? You best believe Brad didn't let us end the Zoom call unless those hard hitting questions were answered.It was an absolute joy to chat to Shaun and we are so excited for what we know is going to be the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the Steps legacy.'Here & Now' is playing at the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham 9th-30th November 2024. Tickets are still available via thestepsmusical.comFollow ‘Glitter & Gold: The Original Steps Podcast’:Instagram, TikTok & X: @glitterstepspodScott: @stepscollection_Shane: @stepmeisterBrad: @bradszmerlingEmail: glitterstepspod@gmail.com Logo & Brand Design: BvrlyCreative Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our H & Claire deep dive continues with Part 2 focussing on the album 'Another You, Another Me' and the conclusion of the duos story (for now...).The album had some big name songwriters on board, including swedish writer Jorgen Elofsson who wrote ‘Its The Way You Make Me Feel’ by Steps and has written for Boyzone, Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears and Westlife (just to name a few). Sam Watters who wrote ‘Im Outta Love’ by Anastasia. Mark Topham and Karl Twigg were also on board and the title track was written by 2 guys from a little band called Abba, who you may have heard of.We talk through our favourite tracks, the albums roll out, why we think it didn't quite land in the charts the way it was hoped to and begin the manifesting for a vinyl release sometime in the future (H, Claire, Fascination.... if you're listening).Follow ‘Glitter & Gold: The Original Steps Podcast’:Instagram, TikTok & X: @glitterstepspodScott: @stepscollection_Shane: @stepmeisterBrad: @bradszmerlingEmail: glitterstepspod@gmail.com Logo & Brand Design: BvrlyCreative Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To celebrate it's 13th anniversary, we are diving into the 2011 documentary series 'Steps Reunion', which followed the band as they celebrated their tenth anniversary since their split. The show led to the 'Ultimate Collection' topping the charts and the sold-out 'Ultimate Tour'. It also inspired the similar show 'The Big Reunion', featuring other pop acts reuniting after their own splits.Despite its success, 'Steps Reunion' stirred up controversy by revealing long-held secrets and rivalries, culminating in a tense dinner scene where the band confronted their issues. While Steps have moved on from the split, the documentary remains a crucial part of their story, contributing to the success of their 2011 reunion and their pursuit of a happy ending.Our guest today, Conor Sullivan, was the production secretary on the documentary and worked closely with the band throughout the entire filming process. Most importantly, he is a Steps enthusiast like ourselves and we know you are going to love some of the incredible behind the scenes stories Conor shares with us from this time.Follow ‘Glitter & Gold: The Original Steps Podcast’:Instagram, TikTok & X: @glitterstepspodScott: @stepscollection_Shane: @stepmeisterBrad: @bradszmerlingEmail: glitterstepspod@gmail.com Logo & Brand Design: BvrlyCreative Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To celebrate 21 years of ‘Lately’, we are thrilled to have Pete Day & Paul ‘Bronze’ Newton from Point4 on the podcast to tell the complete untold story of the making of ‘Unleashed’, the original debut album from Lisa Scott-Lee that was recorded with Mercury records. The guys tell us EVERYTHING from writing and recording the singles ‘Lately’ & ‘Too Far Gone’, the cancelled 3rd single ‘I’ll Wait For You’ and a number of other tracks, some of which have never been spoken about or heard before.After 21 years we finally get answers to questions so many of us have wanted and the boys had some of the most incredible “OMG moment” stories to tell of a time they have nothing but fond memories of.In there words “We have never spoken about this before because, simply… no one has asked us”.Follow ‘Glitter & Gold: The Original Steps Podcast’:Instagram, TikTok & X: @glitterstepspodEmail: glitterstepspod@gmail.com Logo & Brand Design: BvrlyCreative Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joining us on the podcast this month is legendary remixer Gareth Shortland. Having first had the opportunity to remix tracks for Claires solo album 'My Wildest Dreams' in 2019, Gareth has since been an instrumental part of all the Steps and Claire campaigns and become the go to person for mixes for other pop legends including Will Young, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Sarah Harding and Four of Diamonds (just to name a few).We chat to Gareth in-depth about how his relationship with Fascination Management and Steps began, the process of how a remix comes to life and the joy of hearing those vocal stems. He also shares an incredible story about the time he had the opportunity to do some songwriting with the ONE and ONLY Mark Topham and play the piano that some of THE biggest Steps hits were written on. Plus, we expose which UK boyband Gareth was briefly a member of.You can follow Gareth Shortland on Instagram @garethshortlandmusic and find all his remixes via his artist page on Spotify.Follow ‘Glitter & Gold: The Original Steps Podcast’:Instagram, TikTok & X: @glitterstepspodEmail: glitterstepspod@gmail.com Logo & Brand Design: BvrlyCreative Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are BACK for 2024 and kicking things off with our 1st birthday celebrations. We put a call out for you all to send in voice notes and messages to read out and you delivered in a BIG way, with one particular voice note taking us all by surprise......While we took a break over the Christmas and New Year so much has happened in the Steps world, from the forthcoming vinyl reissues AND the BIG news of 'Here & Now: The Steps Musical' you can bet we discuss it all with a huge news round up.A MASSIVE thank you to all our loyal listeners for the support over the past year, we are just getting started. Look out for Part 2 coming in a fortnights time.Follow ‘Glitter & Gold: The Original Steps Podcast’:Instagram, TikTok & X: @glitterstepspodEmail: glitterstepspod@gmail.com Logo & Brand Design: BvrlyCreative Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To celebrate Claire’s recent album EUPHORIA, who better to chat to than the ONE and ONLY Mr. Steve Anderson.We chat to Steve about the entire creative process of making the record (where he served as Producer), the song selection, the ones that didn’t quite make it, hopes to take the album onto the road and most importantly, Claire’s cooking!!! We also touch on Steps recent Brighton Pride show, some burning questions we have always wanted the answers to and what the future may hold.You can follow Steve @mrsteveanderson on Instagram and X, and make sure you check out his podcast ‘Such A Good Feeling’ available on all digital platforms.Follow ‘Glitter & Gold: The Original Steps Podcast’:Instagram, TikTok & X: @glitterstepspodEmail: glitterstepspod@gmail.com Logo & Brand Design: BvrlyCreative Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.