Following its successful sold-out 50th Anniversary run in the UK & Europe, Tubular Bells in Concert is now heading to Australia in August 2024. The Gold Anniversary of Mike Oldfield’s trailblazing magnum-opus will be performed by an expansive live group, featuring and arranged by Mike Oldfield’s long-term collaborator, Robin A Smith.
The concert will see Tubular Bells performed in full, along with further Oldfield compositions, including ‘Moonlight Shadow’, ‘To France’, ‘Family Man’, and excerpts from ‘Ommadawn’.
Tubular Bells was the debut studio album by English multi-instrumentalist, composer and songwriter Mike Oldfield conceived in 1971 and finally released in 1973. Oldfield, who was just 17 years old when he started composing the music, recorded and played almost all of the instruments on the album. It gained worldwide acclaim when the opening theme was used for the soundtrack of the horror film, The Exorcist, and the album went on to become the highest selling instrumental album of all time.
Robin A Smith has worked with Mike Oldfield for over 25 years, collaborating on Tubular Bells 2 and 3 including live performances at Edinburgh Castle, Horseguards Parade in London, The Millennium Bell in Berlin, and the 2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremony. Robin has also worked with diverse artists including Rod Stewart, Goldie, Andrea Bocelli, Enrique, The 2 Cellos, and Luciano Pavarotti.
“The show was premiered at the Royal Festival Hall in London in August 2021 to great acclaim as an early celebration of and tribute to Mike – who in my view is one of England’s greatest composers in the last century. Along with the musicians, it’s a real privilege to be performing this extraordinary work. It’s as fresh today as it was when Mike created it in 1971 – and I love having the chance to bring it to new audiences as well as those who, like me, are still captivated by it whenever they hear it.
“The wonderful thing about Tubular Bells is that it never seems to age. It takes you on a journey through progressive rock and electronica, blues, folk, jazz and classical and along the way evokes such melodic beauty and drama. We’ve had plenty of tears from the audience and so many wonderful stories of their first experience with Tubular Bells.” Robin A Smith
Mike Oldfield will not appear at these performances.