IT’S a sure bet that Lisa Scott-Lee will enjoy Steps’ gig at Newmarket Racecourses tomorrow.

“We’re well-rehearsed, just off the back of our sell-out arena tour and really looking forward to coming down; especially me because I do enjoy going to the races.

“I’m definitely going to have a flutter. I live quite near Ascot racecourse. Me and Faye [Tozer], it’s been one of our traditions over the last five to eight years to get dressed up, get our hats on and go with our husbands and some friends, make a day of it. [A gig at Newmarket] is absolute heaven,” she laughs.

“The nice thing about it is that everybody’s there to enjoy themselves; it’s a great day out for all the family and everyone’s going to be in high spirits, whether they’ve had a win or not.”

The 90s pop sensations - also comprising Claire Richards, Lee Latchford-Evans and Ian “H” Watkins - sold 20 million records, scoring 14 consecutive Top Five singles.

Ten years since their infamous split in 2001, fans have gone crazy over their comeback.

“It’s just blown us away to be honest. We’ve all got very fond memories of Steps over those ten years and you don’t know if the public share that so it [reuniting] was a bit of a gamble. We were thrilled and it showed us people do still love Steps.”

The break-up was very hard and very public; not helped by the fact it wasn’t amicable.

“It was a very difficult time. H and Claire wanted to form a duo, so it was particularly difficult for the other three. We all remained friends throughout the ten years because we’ve felt bonded by the experience.

“We’ve done the Sky Living shows [Steps: The Reunion and later On The Road Again] and talked about everything. We needed to address the past in order to have a future together as a band, but we honestly have put everything behind us and have such fun together. They’re really like my second family.”

The first series attracted record-breaking viewing figures.

Lisa says it wasn’t always pleasant to film; feelings were still raw and emotions ran high.

“I think it was brave of us to go through all that on camera. I think the audience appreciated the honesty and a lot of people wanted to know what had happened, they whys, the whos and now everybody knows and we can all move forward.”

Not many bands would be so brave in the same situation.

“No and it wasn’t an overnight decision, it took months of deliberating whether we should we do this. I think we felt we owed it to each other, to the fans. It was such a massive part of our lives and means so much to us.”

Lisa feels it was the right time for the group to return. No other boy-girl group filled the gap they left in the charts and their songs remain dance-floor fillers.

“When we do our gigs we’re singing and dancing, [doing] all the old songs, but the audience remember everything. I don’t know how they do it, but they sing all the words, join in with all the dance routines, it’s like one giant flash mob. It’s incredible.

“Djs often say to me ‘oh we play your tracks because they’re dancefloor fillers’ and I think we don’t take ourselves too seriously. It’s great pop music, great fun and in this climate it’s nice to just let your hair down and just have sunshine and positivity; it’s not going to do any harm.

“I think it’s what we do best. I think when people come to see us at Newmarket there’s great chemistry on stage. We’ve noticed we feel even stronger, tighter as a group. In the ten years we had off we all did musical theatre, had solo careers; we’ve not stopped performing even though we haven’t performed together. The five of us have always done various things; I think it makes us a better group so I’am proud of that.”

Newmarket audiences can expect as many of Steps’ hits as they can physically fit in, a nice dilemma to have adds Lisa.

As for the future...

“We’re discussing a new album, we’ve a new perfume coming out this year, we have the release of our DVD which we sung live at the O2; that was one of the highlights of my career, I’ll never forget that. There’s lots of great things happening for us and possibly another tour which would be amazing.”

Racing lasts from around 1.45pm-5.10pm, with the concert set to start about 20 minutes after the last race.

The July Course is also hosting The Adnams Food and Drink Festival today and tomorrow, with dozens of trade stands offering a mouth-watering selection of products made by companies based in the East of England.