Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour got a special birthday present from fans – when tickets for his Royal Albert Hall gigs sold out within minutes.

The rocker – who celebrates his 69th birthday today – is hitting the road for the first time in almost a decade, and will play five dates at the major London venue as part of his tour of the UK and Europe.

Demand was so high for the three dates on September 23, 24 and 25 that two additional dates were immediately added for October 2 and 3.

Gilmour on tour in 2006 (Andreas Gebert/DPA)
Gilmour on tour in 2006 (Andreas Gebert/DPA)

Tickets went on sale at 10am and by 10.30am they had all been snapped up.

Fans are being warned that tickets resold on the secondary market will not be valid.

Strict terms and conditions have been put in place for all of Gilmour’s shows, including named purchasers and photo ID required for entry.

The only official outlets for resale purchase are the Royal Albert Hall box office, seetickets.com, ticketmaster.co.uk, eventim.co.uk and stargreen.com.

Gilmour will also release a new solo album to accompany the tour, his first since 2006′s On An Island.