David Bowie 'won't be touring' his producer Tony Visconti confirms

David Bowie released the single on his 66th birthday (Getty Images)

The producer of David Bowie's new album has ended hopes that the pop superstar will be returning to the stage or festival circuit.

Bowie, now 66, released the surprise new single "Where Are We Now?" on Tuesday, and has an album scheduled for release in March.

But Tony Visconti has told NME magazine that there will be no accompanying tour to promote the releases.

Visconti said: "He’s fairly adamant he’s never gonna perform live again. One of the guys would say, 'Boy, how are we gonna do all this live?' and David said, 'We’re not'. He made a point of saying that all the time."

Breaking a decade's silence with the surprise new material prompted speculation that the glam godfather might follow the trend of other British rock legends like the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin with a big stadium tour or a big festival dates.

He has made only low-key guest appearances since 2004 following a heart attack backstage at the Hurricane festival in Scheessel, Germany.

Speaking to the BBC Tony Visconti, who has worked with Bowie many times over the last 40 years, said the pair had spent two years working on the new album, The Next Day, which is out in March.