FANS of seminal British synth-pop duo Tears For Fears can expect to see a different side of the band when they play their maiden Singapore gig next Tuesday.

That's because they aren't "young, angry men any more", said bassist Curt Smith.

Speaking to my paper from his home in Los Angeles, where he lives with his wife and two daughters, the 48-year-old said: "We have to temper the emotions (of the songs) somewhat.

We have to make it relevant to what we are now."

You might think the duo simply churned out happy powerpop, but Smith and vocalist Roland Orzabal, also 48, were responsible for one big protest anthem: Shout, off their 1985 album, Song From The Big Chair.

That song was released in 1984, Orzabal had said in past interviews, when a lot of people were still worried about the Cold War. The song was reportedly a call for people to have questioning minds.

The duo have since mellowed a great deal. Orzabal is married with two daughters, while Smith admitted that his family - particularly his two daughters, Diva, 10, and Wilder, eight - is his utmost priority.

He said with a laugh: "They're unimpressed with me being a big ?rock star'. The only use I am to them is to get tickets to the shows of people like Justin Bieber."

The duo had their ups and downs, including an acrimonious split after just three albums.

Smith and Orzabal, former schoolmates in Bath, Somerset, formed Tears For Fears in the early 1980s. They went on to achieve tremendous, albeit short-lived, success in the New Wave scene.

They spawned instant hits, like Everybody Wants To Rule The World (1985) and Sowing The Seeds Of Love (1989), before Smith left the band in 1990 to move to New York. "I couldn't deal with the fame, the pressure and everything else... It was the best thing I'd ever done," he recalled.

"I probably wouldn't still be (making music) had I not done that."

The duo regrouped in 2000 and released Everybody Loves A Happy Ending in 2004.

These days, the guys are content to tour sporadically, while working on their own solo projects. "We appreciate each other's strengths a lot more these days," Smith said.

Orzabal is currently writing a novel, while Smith regularly releases his own music.

But their songs live on, sometimes taking on new life in countless covers by other artists over the years.

American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert performed a haunting rendition of 1982's Mad World in last year's show, which had everyone from the judges to the viewers raving.

That cover got the thumbsup from Smith.

"I was actually there on the night of the finals and I really liked Adam's version (which was based on a version by American singer-songwriter Gary Jules) because it was so dark," he said.

He added thoughtfully: "I appreciate when people take one of our songs and try to make it their own, (but) people who just copy the song are boring."