Forty years since the release of his 1973 masterpiece, Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells will be performed at the Alban Arena on Sunday, July 14.

When it was first recorded, it required more than 30 musicians to perform it live, but this special performance requires just two. In a unique theatrical experience, the show recreates the album in its entirety on stage.

Tubular Bells For Two is an exciting performance where two bare-footed, multi-tasking musicians play more than 22 instruments using both their hands and feet. Even the slightest error from one of the performers could de-rail the performance, which all the more makes this a thrilling audience experience.

Back in the warm Australian winter of 2008, two childhood friends, Aidan Roberts and Daniel Holdsworth, were listening to old records and stumbled upon Oldfield’s Tubular Bells. They decided to learn the album on just two guitars.

As time went on, they developed their performance, adding layers of instruments, which led to their desire to replicate the original album in its entirety between the two of them.

The spectacular performance has been painstakingly choreographed with the performers using each hand and foot on different instruments plus using their vocals. The feat also utilises live ‘looping’ technology, where they can record riffs (including that famous bass line) to be repeated throughout sections of the performance.

Oldfield's Tubular Bells was released on May 25, 1973 by the then newly formed Virgin Records; Richard Branson said in 2012 that it’s “still one of the most influential records in modern music”.

Many in the music industry considered the work ‘unmarketable’ but plucky young label owner Richard Branson was so confident with Oldfield’s work that he promised him his Bentley if he agreed to premier the album in a live performance at the Queen Elizabeth Hall.

The album reached No 1 in charts across the world, and has sold in excess of 15 million copies. John Peel famously played the album in its entirety on Radio 1, simply saying “It’s called Tubular Bells. I’ve never heard anything like it in my life.”

The music was notably used for the soundtrack of the 1973 horror movie The Exorcist and enjoyed a revival in popularity following its use in the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympics.

  • Alban Arena, Civic Centre, St Albans on Sunday, July 14 at 7.30pm. Details: 01727 844488, alban-arena.co.uk