Back in 1973 Mike Oldfield composed Tubular Bells, the first release on Richard Branson’s fledgling label Virgin Records and, after selling 30 million copies, it went on to be the soundtrack for The Exorcist. Now, more than 40 years on, two young Australian multi-instrumentalists, Aidan Roberts and Daniel Holdsworth, present this modern masterpiece live.
So how did the two friends come to be presenting something that was originally made by one man with a lot of time and instruments on his hands, in a studio.
‘It came about by accident,’ says Aidan. ‘We had been friends for a very, very long time, close to 20 years; there was a period of five years where we didn’t see each other very much,
then we moved close by and started hanging out and playing music. I put Tubular Bells on one night and we stopped and listened to it quietly and thought this is more amazing than we remember, and we listened to it a lot over the course of the week. I said why don’t we learn to play it with two guitars – why don’t we try to get all the instruments in there – and it turned into quite an extravaganza that continues to evolve today.’
All up the two play about 25 instruments during the show. Lots of keyboards, guitars, glockenspiel, tin whistles, voices and, of course, at the back of the stage, the tubular bells.
There were no music scores available for Tubular Bells.
‘We worked it all out by ear, section by section. We would write down cue notes and phrases that were quite tricky. We put a map together of all the music: it begins here and ends here, and this is how we get from this section to this section, like choreography. We are usually playing at least two things at once: two keyboards, one with each hand… it took a lot of brain training because it’s polyrhythmic. It has changed us in some way; in my own music I make I have people saying I can tell you have been playing Tubular Bells a lot; it’s something that trickles through.’
As for the ‘look’ onstage, Aidan jokes that it’s ‘very Spinal Tap’.
‘Almost looks like a Druid’s circle with all the instruments.’
The guys did have their very own Spinal Tap moment on tour.
‘Whenever we tour overseas or interstate we can’t take everything with us; we have to hire instruments. We were in Perth last year. Our backline list went to them; we turned up and looked at what they had for us – they’d brought out those little things you hear on a Disney track and a garden hammer. Oh would will be an interesting show! Amazingly someone spoke to someone – someone had tubular bells nearby!’
So, what is the reaction to a soundtrack that is so significant to a part of people’s lives?
‘Almost unanimously it’s an emotional reaction: my god you took me right back to my teenage years! I never thought I would hear that live and thank you so much for doing it!’
Saturday 25 March,
Lismore City Hall.
Tickets: www.norpa.org.au // 1300 066 772
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