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Main event: All our 80s Fears return

TO many the comeback of Tears for Fears is as significant as a Beckham return to United.

But, as Roland says, "Our reunion has lasted longer than a lot of bands, longer than Busted were together."

While the pair split acrimoniously 16 years ago, the reunion began in 2000 giving them enough time to sort out any differences before the release of Closest Thing to Heaven.

But while they had always considered working together (Roland describes that longing as, "a nagging in the back of my head") the reunion wasn't particularly romantic because they met to discuss a mundane legal paper.

"It led to dinner and hanging out together again," Curt recalls. "Talk naturally progressed to music and we decided we'd try writing together again, with the understanding that if it wasn't good or fun we would stop - the rest is history."

Roland added, with irony: "You don't want to be on your deathbed and think `damn I wish I'd done another Tears for Fears single.

"It was not rekindling an old friendship, more rekindling an old professional partnership. We wanted to see if we could do anything that was any good."

The partnership have a huge history to live up to and, as well as the die-hard Tears for Fears fans, have to impress a new audience - an audience who may not know that Mad World by Gary Jules was a cover version of their track.

"We have a new audience," Roland insists. "It's the sons and daughters of our old fans.

"But, having said that, in the States we have been playing another version of Mad World and Curt jokes to the audience that it's a cover version and people come afterwards and say `that was a great cover of Gary Jules'."

"I loved playing in New York and LA," Curt says. "And am looking forward to all the UK dates. Manchester is obviously a really big one for us. The audience always seem to be real music aficionados, which is rare."

But surely even with a new album out the fans will want to hear the old tracks - Pale Shelter, Change, Mad World, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Sowing the Seeds of Love, Shout - that the band are known for?

"I don't have an aversion to that," Roland said. "But Shout gets on my nerves. I think it's in the song itself. I have played Sowing the Seeds of Love as many times but it's much more interesting to sing."

It is 22 years since The Hurting and both men have grown up a lot, now no longer looking to psychotherapy for inspiration for their songs (two song titles from their first album The Hurting were taken from Arthur Janov's Primal Scream therapy).

"It was a firmly held belief," Roland says, quickly adding, "But I was quite young."

And, more importantly, the creative tensions have gone.

"No tension anymore," Curt says. "We've mellowed out and just enjoy the creative process."

But when professional and personal trouble brewed, after their Sowing The Seeds of Love tour ended, Roland and Curt went their separate ways, at the time when Curt was also going through a divorce from his first wife. Roland continued with Tears for Fears and a greatest hits compilation was released before he made the albums Elemental; Raoul & The Kings Of Spain and Saturnine, Martial and Lunatic. Curt, meanwhile, released his first solo album Soul On Board, moved to America and started a new band called Mayfield. He also remarried. Four years ago Roland released his first solo CD, Tomcats Screaming Outside.

Nevertheless, don't assume that this tour means that the duo is back together for good.

Roland said: "We know we don't have to make it last."

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