Brit Awards 2014: Pharrell Williams to perform

The rapper will join Arctic Monkeys and Bruno Mars at the February event

Pharrell Williams will perform alongside the likes of Katy Perry and Rudimental at the Brit Awards 2014 (Getty Images)

Pharrell Williams is the latest performer to join the line-up for next month’s Brit Awards show, it has been confirmed.

The US rapper will share a stage with festival favourites Arctic Monkeys, pop star Katy Perry and “Treasure” singer Bruno Mars.

Other acts booked to perform include dubstep-inspired dance quartet Rudimental, “Burn” singer Ellie Goulding and popular English band Bastille.

Sheffield's Arctic Monkeys have mocked the corporate event in the past, but have now agreed to open the 2014 show, seemingly accepting their position as the UK's pre-eminent rock group.

In 2006, the band refused to attend the Brit Awards when they won an accolade for Best Breakthrough Act. The four-piece sent a video message dressed as characters from the Wizard of Oz, making their distaste for the event starkly evident, before turning up in 2008 only to deliver a sarcastic acceptance speech which organisers drowned out.

Brit Awards 2014: Arctic Monkeys agree to open show with live performance

Williams is currently at number one in the UK Official Singles Chart with “Happy”, a track that has already broken the half a million sales barrier. “Happy” follows in the hugely successful wake of his two collaborative hits, “Blurred Lines” with Robin Thicke and T.I and “Get Lucky” with Daft Punk.

Bastille and electro duo Disclosure lead the Brit Awards nominations this year with four nods each, while David Bowie’s musical comeback has earned him two. Rudimental are nominated in three categories, with Laura Mvula, Tom Odell and John Newman also on the shortlist.

Brit Awards 2014: The nominations in full

Several of 2013’s biggest-selling artists, including Robbie Williams, Gary Barlow and Sir Paul McCartney, have failed to make the nominations list when it was announced at the beginning of January. Robin Thicke and Miley Cyrus have been snubbed in the international categories.

More line-up announcements will be made in the coming weeks, ahead of the ceremony at London’s O2 on Wednesday 19 February.