They're a buzz band with more than 40,000 members, and having earned their stripes at Glastonbury they're making a beeline for Kew Gardens .

The Hive, the Royal Botanic Gardens' stunning 17-metre-tall aluminium ode to our insect helpers, is set to host a series of intimate evening concerts with a difference.

For the first time, BE will perform their album ONE - a unique collaboration between mankind and bees - at its spiritual home.

Members of the experimental rock group Spiritualized were among the two-legged artists who teamed up with a colony of 40,000 bees to create a soundscape for the interactive sculpture.

They will play four evening gigs at the very special setting, amid a galaxy of LED lights flickering under the night sky in response to activity levels within a real beehive.

Adding to the symphony will be 40,000 bees - though listeners need not worry as their contribution will be streamed live from a hive within Kew Gardens.

'We want the audience to be transported'

The Hive at Kew Gardens has been a hit with visitors since being unveiled in June

Amazing videos, including footage shot within a working beehive will be projected onto the wildflower meadow surrounding the towering sculpture.

The Hive's creator Wolfgang Buttress is very excited about the concerts, which he hopes will drive home our reliance on the stripy pollinators.

"The audience will be in the middle of this conversation between mankind and bees. We want them to be transported," he said.

"Wherever you are you will be surrounded by the sound - including the live stream from the bees coming from within Kew Gardens.

"These will be very intimate concerts, which will make the connection between humans and bees, showing how important they are for our survival."

How to get your hands on tickets

  • BE will perform at The Hive, in Kew Gardens, on Wednesday, September 28 and Thursday, September 29, at 7.20pm and 9.20pm each evening

  • Tickets, priced £30 or £35, are available to book via the Kew Gardens website or from the box office on 08448718802 (calls cost 7 pence per minute plus network access charge)

  • Tickets must be booked in advance. No under-18s will be admitted. Entry will be via the Elizabeth Gate, at the northern end of the park (closest station: Kew Bridge)