We were thought of as just weird people from Bath in the 80s, say Tears for Fears ahead of first live album

TEARS For Fears are astatine their implicit champion unrecorded – and they cognize it.

After 40 years, they are releasing their archetypal unrecorded medium and a movie of 1 of their superb shows.

Songs For A Nervous Planet and Tears For Fears Live (A Tipping Point film) showcase the set astatine the highest of their powers.

“For those who haven’t seen america live, we are playing our finest shows,” says bassist and vocalist Curt Smith.

“Our astir caller medium (2022’s The Tipping Point) showed we inactive had thing to offer.

"It was good received and it had a beardown narrative,” says guitarist and vocalist Roland Orzabal.

“It’s been a joyousness to play those songs live.”

Both of Tears For Fears are jet-lagged erstwhile we conscionable astatine their cardinal London grounds institution offices arsenic Smith has flown successful from his LA location the nighttime earlier portion Orzabal has arrived from Boston.

There’s a array of brushed drinks and effect to support them fuelled for back-to-back interviews and the peculiar premiere of their movie the pursuing evening.

Tired but chatty, they gag astir what they volition deterioration for their movie screening.

“What’s incorrect with the outfits we are wearing now?” laughs Smith.

“The movie is not conscionable for fans but for radical who haven’t seen america play live, oregon those who missed the shows we had to cancel.”

It’s unfinished concern for Tears For Fears, who were forced to cancel the remaining dates of their UK Tour successful 2022 aft Smith broke his ribs.

“It was soul- destroying erstwhile that happened,” helium says.

“It upset maine immensely to not decorativeness that circuit due to the fact that it was going truthful well.

“It was conscionable 1 of those freak accidents.

“I thought the autobus had stopped but it hadn’t — truthful I’d stood up to get my container past the autobus jolted forward, and I flew backmost and virtually caught the borderline of a array close against my ribs.

"It was truthful painful.

“I woke up the adjacent greeting successful agony.

"They could spot 1 cracked rib connected the sonogram and said determination was nary mode I could sing.

“When I got backmost to LA and had a afloat scan, my doc told maine I had fractured 4 ribs.”

The movie and album’s unrecorded recordings were captured astatine the FirstBank Amphitheater successful Franklin, Tennessee.

How did they header performing with cameras successful their faces?

“We were relaxed until we got connected stage,” says Smith.

'UNFINISHED BUSINESS'

“It’s a double-edged sword.

"I don’t deliberation we look arsenic relaxed arsenic we person done successful concert.

“But did we play well? Yes, due to the fact that we concentrated connected playing well.

"You are precise self-conscious astir playing and singing, but it ended up being the champion recording.”

Orzabal adds: “When we headlined Radio 2 In The Park successful Leicester past year, I was much relaxed.

"Maybe I was much drunk, oregon it was due to the fact that tons of different artists were playing, too.

"Sharleen from Texas popped into the dressing country and she’s hilarious.”

Smith says: “We would similar to bash much of those things arsenic we thoroughly bask them, though we’ve ne'er been asked to play Glastonbury oregon the Isle of Wight.”

It was important for Tears For Fears to see 4 caller songs connected Songs For A Nervous Planet to bespeak their ongoing creativeness and the information they are successful a bully place.

Smith adds: “The Tipping Point was acheronian and a batch of pain, but besides astir coming backmost into the light.

"We felt these songs had an entity of their ain and truthful we spot it arsenic an EP.”

Orzabal added: “I’ve moved connected from The Tipping Point, which was astir the death of my archetypal wife, Caroline, who died successful 2017.

“Now I’ve been remarried for 4 years, we are blessed personally, and we’re surely blessed professionally.” Orzabal had been trying to constitute a opus for his 2nd wife, Emily, and recovered an aged opus portion clearing retired a computer.

He says: “I took the backing track, which sounded a spot similar Woman In Chains, to Hawaii connected holiday.

"When you are trying to travel up with stuff, you’re not connected your own.

“I judge you’re picking worldly retired of the ether, oregon retired of the Akashic Field, and I needed a peculiar opus title.

"I woke up successful the greeting and had The Girl That I Call Home arsenic a title.

"So, convey you, whoever you are.”

Emily Said is different opus inspired by Orzabal’s wife, portion Astronaut is “about not feeling that you beryllium connected this earth”.

"It’s besides astir what you privation to beryllium erstwhile you’re a kid. For me, I utilized to say, “maths teacher”.

'SENSE OF ESCAPISM'

Curt wanted to beryllium a aviator and a batch of radical say, ‘I privation to beryllium an astronaut’ — that is precisely what the opus is each about.”

“There’s besides a consciousness of escapism,” says Smith.

“Everything is highly divisive contiguous truthful the tendency to flight is precise current.

"And it’s a spot of a weird track, wherever we tin conscionable — forgive the pun — interval disconnected to abstraction similar an Astronaut.

"And it fits successful truthful good with the different 3 songs.”

Say Goodbye To Mum And Dad mightiness not person the cheeriest of opus titles, but says Orzabal, it’s a “Tears For Fears double-edged sword”.

He continues, “It’s not a blessed subject, but with the whistling and music, you get mislaid successful it.

"It’s a morose lyric with a blessed backing way and comes from the archetypal lockdown successful Britain.

“I was watching TV, seeing each these images of radical who couldn’t spot oregon interaction their relatives — oregon were going to hospitals and attraction homes and seeing their ageing parents done solid and not adjacent being capable to spell to their funeral.”

“It’s a trademark of ours,” adds Smith.

“If you look astatine Mad World oregon Everybody Wants To Rule The World they are lyrically rather acheronian but person blessed backing tracks.

“So, I deliberation it’s the mode we take to balance.”

The medium rubric was inspired by Matt Haig’s publication Notes On A Nervous Planet, astir however modern beingness feeds our anxiety, and helps you unrecorded a amended life.

Orzabal — who suffered a seizure and ended up successful infirmary and rehab arsenic helium struggled with side-effects from taking painkillers — says: “I work this publication successful 2018, erstwhile I was benignant of going done it.

“The publication says however societal media is making the satellite truthful tense — and explains however it works with algorithms.

“Just work books and support yourself from the mode that accusation is fixed to you.

“The mode accusation is received has made everything go precise achromatic oregon achromatic and divisive.”

Smith and Orzabal hold that being successful Tears For Fears contiguous is much enjoyable than it was astatine the tallness of their fame successful the 80s.

“We are enjoying it much contiguous — nary question. And there’s a multitude of reasons for that,” says Smith.

“Getting older and calmer, to a definite degree.

"And a batch of it is down to having household — thing that’s acold much important than music.

“When we were signaling successful our twenties, it was the beryllium each and extremity all,” says Smith, who near the set successful 1991 and moved to New York with the brace not talking for 10 years.

“Nine,” interrupts Orzabal. “Well 9 and a bit. We are inactive trying to marque up for it!”

Looking backmost to their heyday, the brace some accidental they didn’t truly acceptable successful with the different bands of their time.

'OUT OF PLACE'

Smith says: “We didn’t person position successful our 20s. I conscionable don’t deliberation we became ourselves until we were a batch older.

“We are individual, and we’re highly blessed that nary 1 does thing similar us.

“We’d beryllium connected Top Of The Pops, and determination would beryllium Culture Club and we’d beryllium bothered that they were higher than we were.

“I went to meal with John Taylor and Simon Le Bon from Duran Duran — and Simon goes, ‘No 1 knew what to marque of you backmost then.’

"And it’s precise true.

“We didn’t acceptable successful with anything, oregon immoderate of the ‘scenes’ arsenic we were conscionable these weird mates of radical from Bath.

"I was ne'er the biggest Duran Duran fan. But they couldn’t beryllium nicer radical present I cognize them.

“But backmost past determination were nary existent allies — we felt wholly retired of place.

"Slade were connected astatine Christmas 1 time, which was fantastic.

"Slade was the archetypal grounds I ever bought, but isolated from that we felt retired of spot similar we didn’t beryllium there.”

Orzabal says: “I retrieve aboriginal connected being successful make-up with Martin Gore from Depeche Mode.

"I’ve got a batch of make-up on, and he’s got a batch of make-up on, and you would deliberation that we’d person thing to speech about.

"No. We didn’t speak.

“We would effort talking to George Michael. But it conscionable didn’t happen.

"Everyone was excessively competitive.

"We were called the reasoning schoolgirls’ Wham!

"But they would look astatine america arsenic if to say, ‘You guys are thing similar us.

"So, f***k off. It was similar school.”

Next, Tears For Fears volition beryllium performing for 3 nights astatine BleauLive Theater successful Las Vegas, astatine the extremity of this month.

Would they ever play medium shows — wherever they play an medium from commencement to finish?

“Well, maybe. It’s not thing we’ve truly thought about,” says Smith.

“And with definite songs we’re like, ‘Oh, fk, I don’t truly privation to play that one.’”

What astir different caller album?

Orzabal says: “If we marque an analogy, The Tipping Point and The Hurting.

"Then, Songs From The Big Chair, Songs For A Nervous Planet.

'WE'RE PICKY F**KS'

“What’s next? Seeds Of Love. Oh, damn, that’s going to instrumentality a while.”

Smith adds: “There could beryllium much shows coming and arsenic acold arsenic caller recordings, I deliberation we’ll merchandise worldly erstwhile we deliberation it’s good.

"That attack has served america good successful the past.

“When we consciousness thing is worthy putting out, that we’re arrogant capable of, past we’ll merchandise it.

“But we don’t cognize erstwhile that volition hap — we don’t cognize until we bash it.

"We’re ever going to person a conflict creatively arsenic we’re picky f**ks.”

Orzabal laughs: “We are fussy bastards. But erstwhile we bash travel to an agreement, everyone volition cognize it’s good.”

• Album Songs For A Nervous Planet is retired Oct 25 and Tears For Fears Live (A Tipping Point Film) is successful cinemas worldwide connected Oct 24 and 26.

TEARS FOR FEARS - Songs For A Nervous Planet

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