Sigur Rós and Bastille to Perform at David Attenborough’s 100th Birthday Bash

An event celebrating David Attenborough’s 100th birthday is taking place at the Royal Albert Hall next month, featuring special performances from Sigur Rós and Bastille. The live event, organized by the BBC, will honor the life and career of the legendary British broadcaster, natural historian, and writer.

Hosted at the historic London venue, the night will be broadcast live and presented by Kirsty Young. The evening will feature guest speakers including Sir Michael Palin, Steve Backshall, and Chris Packham, alongside musical performances from artists whose work has been synonymous with the hit Planet Earth television series.

Sir David Attenborough. CREDIT: Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images

Bastille frontman Dan Smith is set to perform a classical arrangement of the band’s massive hit ‘Pompeii’ with the BBC Concert Orchestra, following the track’s inclusion in Planet Earth III. Icelandic post-rock legends Sigur Rós will also perform their classic track ‘Hoppípolla’. Originally released on their 2005 breakthrough album ‘Takk’, the song famously soundtracked the trailer for the first season of Planet Earth in 2006, before the band created a new version for the 2016 follow-up, Planet Earth II.

Reflecting on their association with the series, the band previously stated: “Sigur Rós are proud to be associated with Planet Earth II and its all-important mission to hold us rapt in understanding of, and respect for, this endlessly fascinating, utterly surprising and ultimately fragile place we are lucky enough to call home for a short while.”

Sigur Rós, 2025. CREDIT: Chloe Kritharas/PRESS

The BBC Concert Orchestra will also perform scores from some of the most memorable moments in Sir David’s career, including the iconic iguana and snake chase from Planet Earth II. Additionally, Sienna Spiro will join forces with Paraguayan harpist Francisco Yglesias to perform ‘Pajaro Campana’, a piece that featured in Attenborough’s first wildlife programme, Zoo Quest.

“Sir David’s gift to the world has been a life spent exquisitely revealing Earth’s wonders to us all,” Kirsty Young told the BBC. “The very least he deserves is a big 100th birthday bash at the Royal Albert Hall. I’m very happy indeed, as the host, to be able to invite everyone to the party.”

The event, produced by BBC Studios Music Productions and the Natural History Unit in partnership with The Open University, will take place on May 8 at the Royal Albert Hall. It will be broadcast starting at 8:30pm on BBC One and iPlayer.

Bastille, 2025. CREDIT: Press