‘Tubular Bells for Two’ Returns to Melbourne in Celebration of the Album’s 50th Anniversary

May 12, 2023

Musicians Daniel Holdsworth and Tom Bamford will present Tubular Bells for Two at Arts Centre Melbourne’s Playhouse theatre over two nights in September. The two-person recreation of Mike Oldfield’s classic album, Tubular Bells, debuted in Melbourne more than a decade ago.

Tubular Bells came out in 1973 and Holdsworth and Bamford are returning to Melbourne in celebration of the album’s 50th anniversary. They’ll take charge of 20-plus instruments on stage in front of live audiences on Friday, 8th and Saturday, 9th September. Tickets are on sale now.

Tubular Bells for Two Returns to Melbourne for One Last Hurrah

Tubular Bells for Two has toured extensively since debuting at Arts Centre Melbourne in 2011, including performances at Sydney Festival and Edinburgh Fringe. “Arts Centre Melbourne were the first major venue to give this show a chance back in 2011,” Holdsworth said. “From that point everything just took off.”

In the course of the show’s lifetime, the pair have connected with Oldfield, who created the progressive rock masterpiece when he was just 19 years old. “We’ve been in contact with Mike many times over the years, and he has been incredibly supportive of the show,” Holdsworth said. “When we first spoke to him, he just said he thought we were crazy.”

The upcoming shows in Melbourne will mark the end of the Tubular Bells for Two concept, as Holdsworth and Bamford look to move onto something else. “This show has been a massive part of my life for over a decade. It’s time for me to move on, but I really wanted to farewell the show properly and the 50th anniversary feels like fitting send off for our little show, and to celebrate such an important piece of music,” Holdsworth said.