Attention everyone who leaves the Christmas lights up till January! Lover (Live From Paris) special edition heart-shaped vinyl is here for 72 hours or while supplies last! Get one for you or your lover at https://t.co/ZSGtuHT89J. pic.twitter.com/CQXbSgjXdU

— Taylor Nation (@taylornation13) January 7, 2025

Fans all over the UK and Europe have begun receiving the vinyl this week, several days after it was shipped out in the US. The shipment of the vinyls have drastically changed the race for this week’s number one album, with Swift now gaining more chart units than Inhaler’s ‘Open Wide‘ which was released last week and is currently topping the update albums chart.

The vinyl was originally released as a special and very limited edition in 2023, four years after the album ‘Lover‘ was released. Swift held a concert, titled ‘City of Lover’, in Paris in September 2019, weeks after the release of the album, and recorded the set to release it on streaming platforms the following year. ‘Lover (Live from Paris)‘, marked Swift’s fourth live recorded album and only entered UK charts upon the release of the first vinyl edition, in 2023, peaking at 90.

The original album ‘Lover‘ had peaked at number one, and has (so far) spent 268 weeks charting, and is currently charting at 43.

‘Lover (Live from Paris)‘ includes eight songs, all from the ‘Lover‘ album and many of which have made it to Swift’s ‘Eras Tour’ setlist. The trackless includes: ‘ME!’, ‘The Archer’, ‘Death by a Thousand Cuts’, ‘Cornelia Street’, ‘The Man’, ‘Daylight’, ‘You Need To Calm Down’ and, of course, ‘Lover’. The album’s biggest hit, ‘Cruel Summer’, which peaked at number two in the UK, was not included in the ‘City of Lover’ concert but made it to the ‘Eras Tour’ setlist after its incredible popularity years after the release of the album.

If ‘Lover (Live from Paris)’ achieved the number one spot of this week’s UK chart like it is expected to, it would mark Swift’s 13th album to reach the position. Previously, she had claimed the number one spot with:

Red (2012)

1989 (2014)

reputation (2017)

Lover (2019)

folklore (2020)

evermore (2020)

Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (2021)

Red (Taylor’s Version) (2021)

Midnights (2022)

Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) (2023)

1989 (Taylor’s Version) (2023)

The Tortured Poets Department (2024)

Abigail Morris (lead vocalist), Georgia Davies (bass), and Lizzie Mayland (rhythm guitar) met in 2020 when they were enrolled at King’s College London together. The trio went on to form the band, originally called ‘The Dinner Party’, with Emily Roberts (lead guitar) and Aurora Nishevci (keys) from Guildhall School of Music & Drama joining them soon after. Crowned as the winners of this year’s BRITs Rising Star Award and the prestigious BBC Sound Of…2024 poll, The Last Dinner Party have had a whirlwind couple of months, securing their first-ever Official Singles Chart Top 40 entry just last week with the album’s lead single ‘Nothing Matters‘ charting at 22. ‘Prelude to Ecstasy‘ is expected to take the title, with BBC Radio 1’s Jack Saunders counting down to the top spot this Friday between 16:00 and 17:45PM GMT as part of the Official Chart Show.

The fearless five-piece have been highly active on social media this week, spreading the album far and wide and expressing their gratitude for the incredible reception it has received, commenting: “Sharing this magical week with each and every one of you up and down the country has been SO special. Our heartfelt gratitude to you all knows no bounds. Without one single doubt, you are our crème de la crème.”

We are delighted to say that our autumn adventures will be taken to even dizzier heights of frenzy and experimental trousers with new tour dates in Belfast, Dublin and London. Tickets on sale 8am tomorrow ❤️ https://t.co/OfK1Tll22x pic.twitter.com/wNVEcvwW31

— The Last Dinner Party (@lastdinnerparty) February 8, 2024

After building a word-of-mouth fanbase on the UK gig circuit over the past few years, The Last Dinner Party have now confirmed the dates for their upcoming European and North American Tour, as well as their first major UK/Ireland Tour this September and October. Presale tickets are currently available to purchase here for fans who have been granted a presale access code, with the General Sale commencing this Friday, February 9, from 8AM GMT. The tour will conclude in the group’s hometown at the iconic Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, London, on October 16.

Tearing ahead for their first potential UK Number 1, this is a band not at all flustered by a potential sell-by date, having already secured career-defining performances at this year’s Reading and Leeds and TRNSMT Festival, and even across the pond for Coachella. Serving up a fruitful debut, ‘Prelude to Ecstasy‘ is out now.

The Last Dinner Party 2024 UK/Ireland Tour

September

23/09/2024 – O2 City Hall – Newcastle
24/09 – O2 Academy – Leeds
25/09 – Octagon Centre – Sheffield
27/09 – The LCR, UEA – Norwich
28/09 – The Engine Shed – Lincoln
29/09 – Tramshed – Cardiff

October

18/09 – Belfast –  The Telegraph Building
01/10 – O2 Academy –Birmingham
02/10 – Rock City – Nottingham
04/10 – O2 Academy – Bristol
05/10 – O2 Guildhall – Southampton
07/10 – 3Olympia – Dublin
08/10 – 3Olympia – Dublin
10/10 – O2 Academy – Glasgow
11/10 – O2 Victoria Warehouse – Manchester
12/10 – Mountford Hall – Liverpool
14/10 – Corn Exchange – Cambridge
16/10 – Eventim Apollo – London
17/10 – Eventim Apollo – London

“My new thing is acknowledging the things I’m good at, and I’m good at writing pop songs,” Goulding said in an interview with NME. “I’ve made a classical album, I’ve made electronic music and I regularly give my vocal away to producers like Four Tet. There are so many genres of music that I’ve been lucky to explore but when it comes down to it, I really just love making big pop songs that you hear on the radio.”

Work started on the album when the lockdown restrictions in the UK were lifted. She continued to tell NME that she didn’t “intentionally make an album that people can dance to and forget their worries” but it’s “what we needed to do for ourselves coming out of a really bizarre, surreal time”.

On the day Higher than Heaven was released, an ethereally nocturnal video for the track “Better Man” premiered that sees Goulding singing cast in pulsating red and blue hues. The video follows the two other music videos released for Higher than Heaven. Single “Like a Saviour” received a video in February and the title track “Higher than Heaven” received a video in October of last year.

Watch the video for “Better Man” below:

Originally the album was announced to be released in February but was pushed back as Goulding struggled to find suitable eco-friendly materials for the LP’s physical release. According to the singer’s Instagram post the vinyl is a “100% recycled colour compound which would’ve otherwise been wasted, in a recycled sleeve, and then wrapped in a renewable plant based wrap”.

The Herefordshire-born singer will embark on her tour supporting Higher than Heaven in October later this year. The 12-date tour, will start in Dublin and finish in Berlin in November. In the meantime, Ellie will be performing at sold-out venues across the UK and Europe this spring and summer. For tickets and more information see here.

In March, the singer’s collaboration with Scottish DJ and producer Calvin Harris on the trancey single “Miracles” earned the singer a position at number one on the UK Singles Chart. The song marked the artists’ third time collaborating having worked on 2013’s “I Need Your Love” and 2014’s “Outside” together.

For all of Ellie Goulding’s UK and Europe dates see below:

30/04/23 – The Queen’s Hall – Edinburgh
01/05 – The Wardrobe – Leeds
02/05 – Hangar 34 – Liverpool
04/05 – PRYZM – Kingston
05/05 – Engine Rooms – Southampton
15/06 – Fornebu Music and Arts Festival – Fornebu
16/06 – Pinkpop – Landgraaf
19/07 – Colours of Ostrava – Ostrava
12/08 – AIG Women’s Open – Walton on the Hill
02/09 – Olympiapark M Nchen – M Nchen
16/10 – 3Olympia Theatre – Dublin
18/10 – Barrowland Ballroom – Glasgow
19/10 – O2 City Hall – Newcastle Upon Tyne
20/10 – Manchester Academy – Manchester
23/10 – O2 Institute – Birmingham
24/10 – Roundhouse – London
27/10 – Bataclan – Paris
30/10 – Tivoli Vredenburg – Utrecht
31/10 – Cique Royal – Brussels
02/11 – Fabrique – Milan
06/11 – E-werk – Cologne
07/11 – Huxleys Neue Welt – Berlin

Another day, another Tay slay

Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) ends an incredible year by claiming 2022’s Official Christmas Number 1 album with #Midnights

Read the full story ➡ https://t.co/owb6I7lgxZ #XmasNo1 #TaylorSwift pic.twitter.com/cfF052r2fq

— Official Charts (@officialcharts) December 23, 2022

The 33-year-old singer’s festive victory marks the second instance in which Midnight has topped the charts. Released on 21st October 2022, the album debuted at the top spot in the UK album charts and found success in streams, particularly within the platform Spotify. The release marks the tenth studio album by Swift and followed the 2020 release Folklore and Evermore.

 With its win this week, Midnight has now accumulated three weeks at the number one position. Its first entered the charts upon its release and debuted at number one, Midnight then outsold the competition again the following week and has remained in the top three until its triumphant return this festive season. Swift’s recent chart success marks the second time she has spent three weeks at number one. Released on 24th July 2020, Folklore also spent three weeks as the UK’s number-one album.

The success found with Midnight’s charting propelled Swift into the chart of the most popular singers, the “Bad Blood” singer has accumulated the second most number one albums in UK chart history. Swift has entered the top billing with a high stat of nine albums, Madonna remains at the top with twelve UK number-one albums.

Placing at number three within the official 2022 UK album charts is Christmas by Michael Buble, the crooner’s seasonal staple was released on 24th October 2011 and has remained a favourite for shoppers and listeners. Upon its initial release, the album was given a Juno Award for Album of the Year, creating a landmark moment as it was the first holiday-themed release to be given the accolade.

Placing at number four within this year’s annual album race is SOS by SZA, the American singer’s second and most recent album was released on 9th December 2022 via Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records, peaking at number two within the UK album charts. Closing off the top five is A Family Christmas by Andrea/Matteo/Virginia Bocelli, a compilation album created by Andrea Bocelli with a heavy focus on family and the Christmas spirit.

Elsewhere in the charts, The Snuts also hit number three with their second studio album Burn The Empire with Craig David returning to the charts with his eighth studio album, 22 at number seven. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have also scored their fourth top 10 album this week with their fifth record, Cool It Down. It was Slipknot who came out on top with their singles also performing vary well on streaming platforms, one of the most popular songs on the album include “Chapeltown Rag” reaching almost 19 million streams on Spotify as well as “The Dying Song (Time To Sing)” with just under 14 million with its music video reaching 15 million on YouTube, which you can view below.

Speaking about the band’s new album to NME Slipknot’s Corey Taylor said the band’s latest album most closely resembles their third record, ‘Vol. 3: (Subliminal Verses)’. Released back in 2004, that was the album where the band focused on melody, taking their songwriting in new, unexpected directions. “Musically, we’ve never shied away from a challenge,” Taylor said. “It got to the point where you’re like, ‘Where do we go?’ [We said] let’s look back for inspiration instead of trying to look forward, and let’s try to embrace some of the shit that made us wanna do this in the first place.” He then went on to say that the band worried “less about the cohesion of the album and more about the strength of the songs. Each song has its own identity, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be the identity of the album.”

This latest album is available in multiple formats, but for those who purchased it on vinyl or cassette, you may have noticed an error, the wrong title was actually printed on the cover. This was pointed out by fans on the internet who noted that the album cover actually reads The End for Now…, while the correct name can be seen on the sticker on the protective plastic wrap, however if you bought the CDs it would appear to have the correct title on them.

As stated in NME Martin Talbot the Chief Executive at the Official Charts Company, said: “Congratulations to BLACKPINK. Being any kind of chart first is a record which can never be taken away, so for their new album ‘Born Pink’ to become the first UK Official Number One by a K-pop girl group is a fantastic achievement – and puts them in the record books forever!”

The rest of this week’s UK top five includes Suede‘s Autofiction at Number Two, the band’s highest chart position since 1999. The London-based rock group also claimed the best-selling album in UK independent record stores this week,. Then Rina Sawayama‘s Hold The Girl at Number Three, Marcus Mumford‘s (self-titled) (Number Four), and Pink Floyd‘s Animals reissue (Number Five).

The album was accompanied by the release of a vibrant video for the lead single “Shut Down,” which paid homage to some of BLACKPINK’s prior collective and solo releases. There where visual references to their singles “Kill This Love,” “Ice Cream,” “How You Like That,” Rosé’s “Gone,” Lisa’s “Money,” and Jennie’s “Solo”. BLACKPINK also shared two tracks from Born Pink prior to its release – first, “Ready To Love,” which premiered as part of the band’s virtual concert with PUBG. In August, they then returned with their vivacious single “Pink Venom,” which upon release broke Spotify and YouTube records for a K-pop girl group and racked up the views for the biggest music video premiere of 2022 so far. You can view the music video below.

Additionally according to The Korea Times quoting YG Entertainment citing data from Hanteo Chart, (a local market tracker) the album broke the record for the biggest first week sales by a K-pop girl group in history by selling more than 1.54 million copies in the first week of its release. BLACKPINK are also set to embark on a world tor kicking off with a pair of dates in Seoul before heading to North America and Europe which will include two shows at The O2 in London.

Speaking on his win, Williams has stated, “Thank you to everyone who’s supported the album: everyone who’s bought it, streamed it, downloaded it and reviewed it. I’m so pleased that it’s gone to Number 1, and whilst it feels strange to be receiving an award during these sombre times, I wanted to thank you all for your support and dedicate this to the fans, who I never take for granted. I really appreciate it, thank you so much.”

OFFICIAL CHART RECORD BREAKER.@RobbieWilliams overtakes Elvis Presley as the solo act with most UK Number 1 albums in history with #XXV.

Congratulations, Robbie! https://t.co/43bmmaxUao

— Official Charts (@officialcharts) September 16, 2022

Before One Direction took the world by storm, Take That captured the nation’s hearts, arguably laying the groundwork and formula for future boybands. Williams joined the boyband in 1990 at the young age of 16 and quickly became a favourite for many. In 1996, with boyband fever still in swing, Take That broke the hearts of many when they announced their split. Whilst a member of Take That, Williams scored four number one albums within the UK, including the greatest hits album Odyssey; the figure is five UK number one albums.

During the same year as Take That’s disbandment, Williams embarked on his hotly anticipated solo career. Throughout the Stoke-on-Trent native’s career as a solo artist, he released fourteen studio albums, all but one has placed at the top spot. The singer’s eighth solo studio album, Reality Killed the Video Star, was released in 2009 and placed at number two on the UK album charts. The singer’s recent release, XXV, is Williams’ third greatest hits collection to secure the number one position.

Although Williams is now the record holder, The Beatles still hold the first place as the act with the most UK number one albums. The fab four have accumulated fifteen UK number one albums throughout their career, first securing the top spot in 1963 with their debut album Please Please Me. The group have featured within the UK charts even after their split; in 2000, the group’s greatest hits album entitled 1 spent an impressive 174 weeks at the top of the charts.

Famed Beatles band member Sir Paul McCartney is still untouched and remains the individual who has collected the most number one albums. The singer has accumulated twenty-three number-one albums throughout his long career; the figure includes his time spent in the Beatles, Wings and as a solo performer.

Minogue and Williams released “Kids” in 2000; the duet was co-written by Williams and his writing partner Guy Chambers. The single originated from Williams and Minogue’s initial stages of their partnership; the two first started to work together when Minogue asked Williams to write music for her album Light Years. During the songwriting process, the two singers felt the creative chemistry between themselves and decided to turn “Kids” into a duet rather than a solo track for Minogue. The two later worked together the following year; Williams lent his writing talents to Minogue in 2001 when he co-wrote the track “Your Disco Needs You“.

During a recent appearance on Fox FM, Williams alluded to a reunion with the certified pop princess. The 48-year-old singer stated, “I need to ask her, maybe I should do that on this radio station right here, right now. Kylie, please come and sing with me. I’d love it if you did.” When pressed for more information, the “Let Me Entertain You” singer said, “I cannot confirm or deny [but] I will be singing a song that isn’t a Robbie Williams song. I’ll just put that out there.” Williams has also been vocal in his reactions to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the singer took to social media to post a tribute to the 96 year old monarch.

I am truly saddened at the passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. She represented Britain around the world with poise and strength – my thoughts are with the Royal Family and all who loved her. pic.twitter.com/kvCgas86aL

— Robbie Williams (@robbiewilliams) September 9, 2022

This week saw Williams make a recent return to the UK charts; the multiple Brit award-winning artist released XXV on 9th September 2022. The compilation album was released via Columbia Records and serves to commemorate the singer’s 25th anniversary as a solo artist. The album is the singer’s tenth greatest hits LP and comes with a twist on the format; the release contains re-worked, re-recorded and orchestrated renditions of the singer’s most beloved tracks from his long and storied solo career. The album contains many reimagined songs, including an XXV version of Williams’ fourth solo single, “Angels” the new version was released as XXV’s lead single on 7th June 2022.

My new album XXV is out September 9th, celebrating 25 years as a solo artist. Available on CD, cassette & 2LP vinyl – click the link to pre-order now x https://t.co/6H7tHeWYuH pic.twitter.com/DclexJHLYq

— Robbie Williams (@robbiewilliams) June 21, 2022

Recent data released via the UK official charts confirmed that Williams’ new album could reach the top of the album charts. The singer’s thirteenth studio album is outselling the rest of the top 10 albums combined and is tipped to become the UK’s number one album. If it continues to sell well, XXV will become Williams’ fourteenth solo number one album in the UK. The Stoke on Trent native first broke into the charts as a solo artist with his debut album, Life Thru A Lens; the album was released on 29th September 1997. The album marked a sharp re-direction from his boyband days and saw Williams adopt the Britpop sound, which was prominent during the 90s.

.@OfficialSteps‘ history-making Platinum Collection leads the Official Albums Top 10 ✨

See the Top 100 https://t.co/qA3DHUXugJ pic.twitter.com/gkxsbi8AU5

— Official Charts (@officialcharts) August 27, 2022

Those who buy Aitch’s new project will have a choice of unique NFT artwork to own; the collectable NFTs will be partnered with a physical copy of Close To Home. The new album is not only breaking ground within new media but has also sired Aitch his highest positioning release within the UK album charts. The 22 year old artist has also gained traction with the UK singles chart, his collaboration with Ed Sheeran has entered the UK top 10. The track, “My G”, has charted at number six and is the third single to be released from Close To Home.

Speaking to OfficialCharts.com, Aitch gave an exclusive statement, “A massive thank you to everyone who has bought my debut album, Close To Home. Also gassed to hear I’ve made Official Charts history, becoming the first artist ever to chart with an NFT project! Big up to everyone that has purchased an NFT from my collection, the support means the world to me. I’ll see you on tour very soon.”

Close To Home, my debut album is out now

Thank you to everyone who’s been involved and supported me, I can’t appreciate you enough.

My G is a song on the album that probably means the most to me, written for my sister Gracie. The video is out now https://t.co/UOmmkshgbK pic.twitter.com/KKnrJQaZai

— Aitch (@OfficialAitch) August 19, 2022

Since their creation in 2014, NFTs have been utilised by various musical acts to offer fans exclusive content. They have also gained vast popularity throughout all avenues of the entrainment industry. Standing for Non-fungible token, an NFT serves as a record stored on a blockchain typically attached to digital and physical assets. Each comes with metadata and unique ID codes; this information is used to separate each NFT. Their use has extended further than music, culture and the arts; this recent invention has even been used to represent properties and rights such as real estate.

The first instance of a release containing NFT data coming to the charts was made this April, it was confirmed that The Amazons’ forthcoming new album would be eligible to enter the UK album charts. The British rockers will release How Will I Know If Heaven Will Find Me? this September, the album will come with an attached digital boxset edition of the Vinyl release and additional NFT digital content.

The UK Official Charts Company CEO Martin Talbot has given the following statement, “We are delighted to approve this first-ever NFT for Official Albums Chart inclusion, it is an incredibly exciting moment for the chart and the UK music scene. As far as we are aware, this is the first release to include an NFT component to achieve chart approval anywhere in the world – so congratulations to The Amazons for this fantastic first. The UK’s Official Charts have always strived to evolve as music fans change how they buy and consume their favourite music, and this is another example of how we have always sought to reflect the pioneering spirit of the music industry and, in particular, the UK scene.“

Click here to buy/download/stream Close To Home.

Steps first saw chart success in 1999 with their second studio album Steptacular; the album debuted at the top spot on Halloween of the same year. They next secured a UK number one with their first greatest hits album, Gold: Greatest Hits; the album was released in 2001 and contained their cover of the Diana Ross hit “Chain Reaction”. The newly re-formed band then scored a hat trick with The Ultimate Collection in 2011; the release was the group’s third compilation album and featured a cover of ABBA’s megahit “Dancing Queen”, the track marked the band’s first recorded song in a decade.

Within an exclusive conversation with OfficialCharts.com, Steps stated, “We could NOT be more thrilled that our Platinum Collection is this week’s UK Official Number 1 album! We have the best fans in the world, and this is all down to their incredible support. It’s unbelievable to think that we’ve now broken records, becoming the first British, mixed-gender group to score four Number 1 albums across four consecutive decades! What a way to celebrate our 25th birthday!”

Two years ago, it was confirmed that The Rolling Stones had achieved a similar feat after the album Goats Head Soup had reached the top of the UK album charts. The 2020 release meant that the band broke an official record in achieving a number one album across six separate decades, making them the first band in history to do so. Goats Head Soup was the band’s 11th studio album released in Britain and has enjoyed two occasions as the UK’s number one album. The album was initially released in 1973; upon its initial release, it debuted at the top of the UK album charts.

Also included within the elite club are Welsh rockers Stereophonics and Disco legends ABBA. In November 2020 it was confirmed that pop princess Kylie Minogue has also been awarded a similar accolade. The UK Official Charts confirmed that the singer was the first female act to score a number one album within five separate decades. The “Better The Devil You Know” icon secured this feat after her album DISCO reached the top of the UK album charts in November 2020.

Steps’ most recent number one album not only catalyzed their chart record but was also released to celebrate the band’s 25th anniversary. Comprising of band members Lee Latchford- Evans, Claire Richards, Lisa Scott-Lee, Faye Tozer and Ian ‘H’ Watkins, Steps first came to fame after their formation in 1997. After a five-year hiatus, the band reformed for the second time in 2017; since coming back together, the iconic pop singers have released new music and performed several live shows.