All Pop - Artists

Boy bands can't always stay sweet and glossy.

Such is the case for the Moffatts, who are wearing their first signs of facial hair and will be in London Saturday night to show off their new look and music.

Their sound is evolving and so are their experiences.

"It's all about learning," said one of the triplet brothers, Clint Moffatt, from their home in Calgary.

"We can never stop learning."

The four brothers are shedding their pop-sounding skin that attracted young girl listeners and are moving toward a rocked-up pop style. "We have to sort of outlive that (boy band image)," Clint said.

Thanks to the guidance of Bob Rock, who has produced albums for Metallica, Bryan Adams and Bon Jovi, the Moffatts released a new album last year called Submodalities that tries to capture their development as musicians and as growing teenagers.

The release is the seventh in their collection since they first hit the musical landscape as a pre-teen kid country band out of Nashville, where they lived and worked for five years. Their previous album Chapter 1: A New Beginning, sold more than two million copies, went platinum in Canada and catapulted the pop-band onto the world stage, surrounded by boy-crazed young girls.

"They all keep getting better," Clint said of their music-making evolution.

The brothers; Scott and triplets Bob, Clint and Dave are home-schooled and basically have grown up in the musical limelight.

Clint said at this stage in their lives they want to focus on their musical careers and postpone plans for post-secondary education.

Unlike other boy bands, they write most of their own songs.

Songs in their latest release, Submodalities, reflect their Radiohead, Foo Fighters and Nirvana influences, as well as their "own sound" that Rock suggested they do.

At this point in their lives when most pre-20 boys would be pondering which career to pursue or post-secondary school to attend, the Moffatts are reinventing their musical direction and style.

It's a new direction that may shake up faithful boy-band Moffatt fans.

"We're just evolving into something else."

Clint said with the change in style, "Some of the fans have changed as well. We may have lost some of the younger fans."

In that changeover of fans, Clint hopes their following will include more boys.

To correspond with the growth and change in the Moffatts' style, Clint hinted that considering a new band name has crossed their minds.

Staying with them through their growing pains is their recording label, EMI, which Clint said gives them "enough room" to chart their artistic direction.

"They are going to be patient with us."

Their show in London is the last of a three-date Ontario tour and the last for a while, said Clint.

Clint said they will take the time to "regroup" and prepare for a new album.

"We're slowly working on a new album," he said, adding, "We're not going to be rushed."

The Moffatts performed in London before and Clint said, "It was an amazing crowd . . . The crowd never stopped."

Since Saturday's gig is their last live show for a while, London audiences can expect a hyped show. "We try to blow them away," said Clint.

The Moffatts mature