First of all, can you tell me about how you and Daniel partnered up? Had you worked on projects or compositions together previously?
Daniel and I have known each other since our late teens and spent a lot of time making music together after leaving high school. We played gigs together and helped each other out recording songs. Danny actually recorded my first album in 2000, which is where we first started collaborating properly and found we had a great working relationship. It wasn’t until we came up with this impromptu idea of doing Tubular Bells nearly ten years later that we worked together again!

What was it about Tubular Bells that spoke to you both enough to want to interpret it?
Hard to say, really. There’s something inherently magical about the music on that record. I think as well as the beautiful and sophisticated musical ideas in the piece, we were as much fascinated by the story behind the album and the unique place it takes in the canon of music history. It’s one of those ‘event albums’ from the 1970s, as monumental as The Dark Side of the Moon or The War of The Worlds.

The opus originally required a 25-strong ensemble to pull off – how did you go about making it playable with only two people?
Well, originally we intended to make an interpretation of Tubular Bells for just two instruments – guitars. It had been done before, but we wanted to have a go at bringing our own musical language to it. We set about decoding the whole thing by ear, section by section. And in doing so, we were always troubled about the finale of ‘Part One’, where Vivian Stanshall introduces all the instruments in a procession of the main theme, leading up to “plus… tubular bells!” and these great clanging tubular bells playing the melody. We thought, how could we possibly have a performance of tubular bells without announcing and playing all those instruments there? That would defeat the purpose, as its the part that everyone is waiting for. We wondered if there was a way we could layer it all up and keep that bass riff going while we jumped around playing the piano, glockenspiel and others. And then we realised – we could use a loop pedal to record us playing the bass guitar riff, and then add other things on top of that and then we could run around and hit the tubular bells. If only we had a set of tubular bells! Well, that was the next thing on the list.

It almost goes without saying that this performance is extremely complex! Was there a moment in the early stages where the enormity of what you were trying to pull off sunk in?
Absolutely. After the initial excitement of the idea itself started to wear off, we realised just how much work we’d have to do – not only to be able to play it all in sequence, but to ‘make it good’ as we would say. The aim was to play it really well so that it is a satisfying musical experience – not just a scrambled mess of wrong notes and near-misses. We didn’t want it to be silly – we wanted it to feel like Tubular Bells. And that was never going to be easy with the task we’d set ourselves!

How did the very first show of Tubular Bells for Two go?
It was at a little theatre restaurant in the Blue Mountains called The Clarendon. We had a full house, much to our surprise. We were terrified. We had only learned how to play the last 20 minutes of the piece the week before, and we felt desperately under-prepared. But somehow, through sheer adrenaline and bravery, we got through it all. We made it work. And the audience we wiping away their tears of nostalgia and laughter. We couldn’t believe it. Danny actually has a tape recording his grandfather made on a little dictaphone of that gig – listening to the recording now you can really hear how far the show has come in the six years since that memorable night. We play it so fast and make lots of mistakes, but you can hear where it’s headed – and the spirit of the thing is there.

There is a plethora of gear on stage for every show – were there any instruments that you had to learn to play or get accustomed to for this performance?
Most of the instruments on the album we could play and had access to, as they’re either keyboards, percussion or guitar-related instruments, which we can both play. We’ve had to do some creative adaptation of the arrangements to compensate for a few things. For example we don’t have a flute in the mix as neither of us can play woodwinds. But we definitely have been very creative with how we get around stuff like that. As previously stated, it’s the spirit of the thing that’s important. We do definitely have tubular bells though, and a taped motor-driven amplified organ chord.

Seeing as Tubular Bells is such an intricate composition – is there much room to change up your approach to the performance from time to time? How different is your show now from when you started?
Of course sometimes something will go awry onstage and we have to improvise around it to keep the music flowing – sometimes things can get very nail-biting indeed, for the audience and us. The arrangement itself is always subtly shifting and changing, as we revisit it to rehearse for a tour or we have a lightbulb moment while listening to the original album. In the years since the first show, we’ve done countless hours of problem solving and re-arranging, always in the pursuit of making the show sound as close to the original as possible, getting as much detail in our sounds and arrangements as we can. We think it sounds pretty damn close, but it’s never going to be perfect because of the nature of what we are attempting. In a way, it’s a bittersweet quest. At least after 300-odd shows, we can say we’ve given it a red hot go!

The show has sold out in numerous theatres and you’ve taken the show overseas and performed to international audiences – did you ever imagine that the show would grow to have such a following?
We always dreamed of doing this stuff as kids, and we never imagined a silly random idea like playing Tubular Bells with just two blokes would ever work. We still have to pinch ourselves when we think of all the wonderful places we’ve been and the people we’ve met. It’s not always easy, but it’s magical. We’re very grateful.

Is there another epic work that you would love to have a crack at interpreting?
Not in the way that you would imagine. But we are working on something – a big, long-term concept project that if it works, will be very exciting. It’s called Red Earth – it’s an original composition by Danny and I, and is part concept album, part graphic novel, part radio drama. Set in a post-apocalyptic Australia.

You’ll be coming to Brisbane to perform at the Brisbane Powerhouse – what do you like most about the city of Brisbane?
The sunny, hardy people of Queensland who never let adversity get in the way of living the good life.

What accomplishment are you most proud of in your career to date?
Playing our music to a full house at The Union Chapel in London, on the 40th anniversary of the release of Tubular Bells, with some of our closest friends. I’ll never forget that magic night.

What has been inspiring you lately?
Star Wars.

Tubular Bells for Two will be performed at Brisbane Powerhouse on May 12 and 13. Book your tickets now to avoid missing out.