The landmark instrumental work that launched Virgin Records and reshaped modern music returns to the stage with an expansive live production celebrating five decades of Tubular Bells.
by Paul Cashmere
More than fifty years after it first emerged from an English manor house and quietly rewrote the rules of what a popular music album could be, Tubular Bells is heading back into the spotlight. Tubular Bells In Concert will tour Australia in June 2026 as part of a global 50th Anniversary World Tour, bringing Mike Oldfield’s seminal composition to life through a large scale live ensemble.
The Australian dates will present Tubular Bells performed in full, followed by extended sections drawn from Tubular Bells II and Tubular Bells III. The concert will also include Moonlight Shadow, the worldwide hit that introduced Oldfield’s music to a broader mainstream audience in the 1980s. The production is led and arranged by Robin A Smith, Oldfield’s long term collaborator of more than 25 years, who has been central to shaping the live legacy of the Tubular Bells works.
Although Mike Oldfield will not appear at these performances, the concerts are directly linked to his creative vision. Smith worked closely with Oldfield on Tubular Bells II and Tubular Bells III, and has overseen major live presentations of the music at Edinburgh Castle, Horse Guards Parade in London, Berlin’s Millennium Bell celebrations, and the London 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony. His role has been to translate a famously intricate studio creation into a powerful shared experience without diluting its complexity or emotional weight.
Originally recorded when Oldfield was still a teenager, Tubular Bells began life in 1971 as a series of evolving themes assembled using a two track tape recorder in a small flat in north London. Oldfield, largely self taught and already fluent across multiple instruments, constructed the piece layer by layer, playing almost everything himself. At a time when most rock recordings relied on bands working together in a studio, Oldfield’s approach was radical, painstaking and deeply personal.
Released in May 1973 as the first album on Richard Branson’s newly formed Virgin Records, Tubular Bells initially sold modestly. Its trajectory changed dramatically later that year when its stark, hypnotic opening piano motif was used in the film The Exorcist. The association propelled the album into public consciousness and helped turn it into a global phenomenon. It would go on to become the highest selling instrumental album of all time, reaching number one in Australia, the UK and Canada, and selling an estimated 15 million copies worldwide.
Beyond its commercial impact, Tubular Bells established a template for long form composition within a popular music framework. Structured as two continuous pieces rather than a collection of songs, it drew on classical forms, folk melodies, progressive rock textures and experimental recording techniques. Its influence can be traced through progressive music, film scoring, ambient composition and beyond.
Oldfield returned to the themes of Tubular Bells twice, first with Tubular Bells II in 1992, which also reached number one in the UK and was premiered with a globally broadcast performance from Edinburgh Castle, and later with Tubular Bells III in 1998. An excerpt from Tubular Bells III, Far Above The Clouds, was later featured in the London 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony, cementing the work’s place in British cultural history.
For Smith, the current touring production is about presenting the full arc of that journey. He has described the show as an opportunity to bring together music from all three major Tubular Bells works, allowing audiences to experience the scale, drama and recurring motifs that connect them. Performed by an expansive group of musicians, the concerts aim to retain the precision of the original recordings while embracing the energy of a live setting.
The upcoming Australian tour arrives at a moment when Tubular Bells continues to be reassessed and celebrated. Its 50th anniversary has already been marked by archival releases and renewed discussion of its role in shaping both Virgin Records and the broader landscape of modern music. For Australian audiences, Tubular Bells In Concert offers a rare chance to hear this landmark composition presented as a complete, immersive performance.
Dates are:
MELBOURNE – Hamer Hall – Wednesday June 3
ADELAIDE – Entertainment Centre – Friday June 5
PERTH – His Majesty’s Theatre – Saturday June 6
BRISBANE – QPAC – Wednesday June 10
NECASTLE – Civic Theatre – Thursday June 11
CANBERRA – Canberra Theatre – Friday June 12
SYDNEY – Sydney Opera House – Saturday June 13
Tickets on Sale Thursday January 22 at
www.davidroywilliams.com
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