King’s Guard Band Performs Black Sabbath’s ‘Paranoid’ in Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne at Buckingham Palace

Ozzy Osbourne’s influence reached the gates of Buckingham Palace this week, as the King’s Guard band performed Black Sabbath’s Paranoid during the Changing of the Guard.

The brass and woodwind ensemble, decked out in red tunics and bearskin hats, delivered a polished, tightly arranged instrumental version of the 1970 metal staple. Tourists looked on from behind the railings, probably not expecting one of the most recognisable riffs in heavy music to echo across the Queen Victoria Memorial. It was not subtle, and to be fair, it didn’t need to be.

The performance followed Osbourne’s private funeral on Wednesday, held at his 250-acre Buckinghamshire estate. The 76-year-old died on 22 July after a long period of declining health. His final send-off was attended by a tight circle of family and friends, including Elton John, Marilyn Manson, Zakk Wylde, Rob Zombie, and members of Metallica and Slipknot.

The tribute at the Palace added an unexpected but fitting layer to the public farewell. Osbourne, the godfather of heavy metal and once the most banned man on American TV, being honoured by a military marching band outside the royal residence, felt surreal but earned. This was a moment where British establishment met Birmingham’s most unlikely cultural export, and didn’t flinch.

The King’s Guard have made a habit in recent years of nodding to contemporary music, but Paranoid clearly hits a bit differently. I mean, it’s a song built on anxiety, rebellion, and distortion. And now it’s being performed on government time in full view of tourists holding iPhones.

Tributes have continued across the globe since Osbourne’s death. Fans lined the streets of Birmingham for a public procession on 30 July, where a brass band covered Iron Man. A petition to rename Birmingham Airport in his honour has passed 57,000 signatures. Artists including Yungblud, Jack White, Billie Joe Armstrong and Tobias Forge have all issued public tributes.

Osbourne once said he didn’t care what was played at his funeral, as long as it wasn’t miserable. A military band playing Paranoid in broad daylight, in front of a royal palace, probably clears that bar I’d say.