The former Housemartins and Beautiful South frontman has achieved five previous chart-topping albums throughout his career. Three arrived with The Beautiful South—Carry On Up The Charts (1994), Blue Is The Colour (1996), and Quench (1998)—alongside two collaborative records with Jacqui Abbott, Manchester Calling (2020) and N.K-Pop (2023).
Brandon Flowers, the frontman of The Killers, sits at Number 2 with his third solo LP, THRASHER, aiming to replicate the top-tier success of his earlier solo efforts Flamingo (2010) and The Desired Effect (2015).
Manchester-based quartet Westside Cowboy appear poised for a Top 10 entry, with their debut It Goes On holding at Number 3 in the mid-week standings. Australian group DMA’S are close behind at Number 4 with their self-titled release, signaling a third UK Top 10 album following The Glow (2020) and How Many Dreams? (2023).
Elsewhere in the Top 10, Sam Smith’s Hazel Eyes sits at Number 7, while Antony Szmierek’s second studio release, Decoding Birdsong, holds Number 10 and could mark his first appearance on the main chart.
Following a headlining set at All Points East in London, Jorja Smith’s fourth album What Are The Odds enters the chart update at Number 15. British indie ensemble The Mystery Jets sit at Number 18 with A Hole To See The Sky Through, tracking toward a career-best chart position, while Weezer’s Weezer (Gold Album) enters at Number 19. South London rapper K-Trap holds Number 33 with TRAPO 2.
Album reissues propel three catalog returns to the Top 40, including Girls Aloud’s Tangled Up at Number 16, Happy Mondays’ Pills ‘N’ Thrills and Bellyaches at Number 22, and The Rolling Stones’ compilation Forty Licks at Number 38.
