MIKE Oldfields multi-million selling multi-award winning masterpiece Tubular Bells is going on a 50th anniversary tour, stopping at Southend's Cliffs Pavilion.

Tickets are on sale now for the show, which will be hitting our shores in February next year.

Tubular Bells is world-renowned as one of the most celebrated examples of music in film, for its soundtracking of horror classic The Exorcist.

Its legacy was cemented with Oldfield’s performance of the album’s main theme at the iconic London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony, one of the rare performances of the project he has given.

Tubular Bells The 50th Anniversary Celebration will feature an expansive live group, conducted and arranged by Oldfield’s long-term collaborator Robin Smith.

It will see Tubular Bells performed in full, along with further Oldfield compositions.

Tubular Bells, created in 1971 and released in 1973, was the debut studio album by English multi-instrumentalist, composer, and songwriter Mike Oldfield.

At just 17 years old when he started composing the music, Oldfield recorded and played almost all the instruments on the album, gained worldwide recognition when the opening theme was used for the soundtrack of the horror film, The Exorcist and went on to become the highest selling instrumental album of all time.

Robin Smith, conductor of the show, was completely mesmerised by Tubular Bells the moment he heard it.

Smith has collaborated with Mike Oldfield for over 30 years, with performances of Tubular Bells including at Edinburgh Castle, and also the 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.

Of the tour, Smith says: "Along with the musicians, I'm really thrilled to be offering this beautiful re-imagined version of Tubular Bells to a wider audience up and down the country.

"It was premiered at the Royal Festival Hall in August 2021 to great acclaim, as an early celebration of Mike Oldfield’s stunning work - so to be touring the UK in the 50th year is a huge privilege for me and a perfect tribute to one of England’s greatest composers.

"Joining us on the tour will be the renowned guitarist, Jay Stapley who performed with me at the iconic Tubular Bells II concert live from Edinburgh Castle in 1992.

"The wonderful thing about Tubular Bells is that it never seems to age, the actual composition is just perfect and is as spell-binding now as it was 50 years ago.

"It incorporates so many things - folk and rock, blues and jazz which evoke such melodic beauty and drama.

"This performance also features others works by Mike: Moonlight Shadow, Omadawn and Summit Day."

Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells 50th Anniversary Celebration comes to the Southend theatre on Saturday February 18.

Tickets are on sale from £20 - £55 from southendtheatres.org.uk