WHEN Mike Oldfield released his 1973 masterpiece, Tubular Bells, it required more than 30 musicians to perform it.
Now, 40 years on, it is set to be performed by just two massively talented Australian musicians. This critically acclaimed sell out Edinburgh Fringe show recreates the iconic album, live onstage, in real time.
Tubular Bells ‘for Two’ started as an idea conjured up over a bottle of wine by old school friends Daniel Holdsworth and Aidan Roberts in their hometown of the Blue Mountains in NSW, Australia. After arranging the music by ear on acoustic guitars, more instruments started to be added and the show was created.
Tubular Bells usually requires a full orchestra for live performance, but Daniel and Aidan create a stellar sound capturing the soul and emotion of the album with just the two of them literally leaping between instruments for this fast paced hour long epic musical journey.
Amongst the vast collection of instruments onstage are keyboards, umpteen guitars, bass, mandolin, glockenspiel and loop pedals and of course tubular bells.
Now Tubular Bells is set to wow the UK, with a huge 45 date tour, from Brighton to Glasgow and everywhere in between.
Catch the London première of this epic show at Union Chapel on 25 May, the 40th anniversary of the original release of Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells by the then newly formed Virgin Records.
Another anniversary is marked on 25 June, with the show’s return to the Southbank (Wonderground) for one further London performance. This celebrates the 40th anniversary of the live performance of Tubular Bells at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on 25 June 1973 — for which Mike Oldfield was famously convinced to perform by Richard Branson giving him his Bentley.
For full dates of the tour see www.tubularbellsfortwo.co.uk.