So today we found out that our debut album has placed at number one in the UK album charts!! It’s been such an unexpected journey for us hobbits so to find our shmalbum at number 1 is incredible!! We are lost for words and left feeling like we’re wearing our mums high heels pic.twitter.com/1KJJwMaGdA

— Wet Leg (@wetlegband) April 15, 2022

The band spoke with OfficialCharts.com concerning their win, “We just want to say thanks to all of our fans that have bought the record, and that means we can be Number 1. Thank you for this!”

The group’s inaugural release has outsold the remaining top 5 albums combined and has earned the title of the second biggest opening week for an album in 2022 so far. The top spot was awarded to British rapper Central Cee for his second studio album 23, released on 25th February 2022 the album also debuted at number one on the album charts. Wet Leg’s top-charting album has also achieved success in physical sales, and it has topped the Official Vinyl Albums Chart and the Official Record Store Chart.

Wet Leg’s number one album was released by independent label Domino Records and is the fourth indie-released album to top the charts this year. The London-based label is home to a roster full of beloved rock acts including Arctic Monkeys, Animal Collective and Franz Ferdinand. The duo was formed in the Isle of Wright and consists of band members Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers. The pair started to make music together in 2019 after meeting in college, and first gained notoriety for their single “Chaise Lounge”. The track was their debut single and became a huge hit over social media.

This week’s chart placement is not just a win for Wet Leg but is also a huge landmark within the music industry. For the first time in over a decade, all top 3 albums are released via independent record labels. At number two on this week’s album charts is Chloe And The Next 21st Century by Father John Misty, the album has debuted at second place and was released via Bella Union. Closing the top three and scoring the hat track for indie labels is Jack White’s album Fear Of The Dawn, the Grammy award-winning musician’s fourth solo album was released by his own label Third Man Records.

This grade of chart success for indie labels last occurred in 2011, the top 3 included Adele’s 21 at number 1 and the singer’s debut album 19 at number 3. Both albums were released by British indie label XL Recordings. Founded in 1989, the label is home to artists such as FKA Twigs, Gil Scott-Heron and Radiohead. At number three was Fleet Foxes’ Helplessness Blues. The group’s second studio album was released via grunge pioneering label Sub Pop and British indie label Bella Union.

Speaking on the rarity of this event, chart analyst Alan Jones has given the following statement, “It is only the third time in the 1,162 weeks that have elapsed in the 21st century that indie records have occupied all of the top three places in the chart. The first time, in 2011, saw two albums from Adele (21 and 19) and one from The Strokes (Angles) shutting out the majors, and the second instance happened just six weeks later.”

Days before this chart record was announced, recorded music trade body BPI reported a spike in growth for indie label market shares for the fourth year running. The organisation also conducted a new analysis of the Official Charts Company’s data and stated that independent music was responsible for 26.9% of the UK music sales in 2021. The data also confirmed that 4 out of 10 Vinyl album sales were independent releases.

The 72-year-old percussionist has named his new label ‘Nice Records’, the label is set to issue unreleased recordings and tracks that span throughout his long and respected career. Jones’ indie label will launch with the release of live recordings from his time in Small Faces taken from the drummer’s personal archive collection, entitled ‘Small Faces- Live 1966’, the launch and release will be on 3rd September 2021. The label’s first release features the band’s earliest recorded live performance from 9th January 1966 and includes two sets played at the Twenty Club located in Mouscron, Belgium. Jones is best known as the drummer for three of the 1960s most influential mod and rock bands, Small Faces, The Faces and the ‘My Generation’ rockers The Who.

The mod icon issued the following statement concerning his new business venture and describes the label’s mission to celebrate his musical legacy. “It’s great to launch Nice Records and to be able to take back control of the Small Faces products and recordings. I have assembled a first class team who understand the importance of the Small Faces legacy. I am so pleased there is a record of us performing at this time. We were a great live act then and even though we started to have hits, our live act was never the same again. This gig is really what the Small Faces were all about.”

Rob Caiger, Small Faces archivist and producer of reissues has also spoken on Kennedy’s new label and discusses how Nice Records will be a positive factor within the music industry. “Kenney has set up Nice Records to ensure the artists – and their dependents – get paid for their recordings as opposed to the many companies that have sprung up recently to exploit the ‘use it or lose it’ EU ruling for previously unreleased material over 50 years that is now deemed to be in the public domain. He is following Frank Zappa’s brilliant initiative, taken on by bands such as the Stones, to beat the bootleggers and give control back to the musicians. In this case, we think Kenney is the first artist to exploit the current EU ruling for the benefit of the artists.”

Caiger continues to describe the laws concerning the release of archived music and further confirms not just the importance of the archived and historic recordings but also the significant role in which Kennedy has played to ensure the safety of such recordings. “We want to do this properly. There is still previously unreleased material locked away in archives because record companies can’t – or won’t – release it, as well as material that labels lost or never got from the artist in the first place. In Kenney’s case, he has been diligently looking after session and live tapes he has played on from the Small Faces onwards. As some will know, as well as his work with the Small Faces, Faces and The Who, Kenney played on countless sessions by other artists (particularly during his time recording at Olympic Studios in London). Kenney usually got a copy of the tape and in many cases, he was the source for the only surviving copy of the masters, as he was whenwe put together the Small Faces remaster series.”

Click here to pre-order ‘Small Faces – Live 1966’.

Stubbs created Loud and Quiet in 2005, and the magazine has become popular in London as well as many other towns and cities, including New York. Up until 2018, the publication was a free monthly instalment, but it now continues bi-monthly and fans can purchase it online or in-store in exchange for a printed copy.

A statement about the future (or not) of Loud And Quiet. Subscribe to save us: https://t.co/1tAO6KsPU0 pic.twitter.com/BJqIHIuqSa

— Loud And Quiet (@LoudAndQuietMag) April 28, 2020

In his message, Stubbs explained his concerns to readers, saying “Since the Covid-19 crisis hit we’ve been trying to work out how to keep Loud and Quiet going. Or, should I say, if we can keep it going.” April’s edition was not published as planned, for reasons which follow. Firstly, the stores and venues who usually stock the magazine are closed for the time being, and secondly, advertisers have dropped out due to the lack of live shows and record releases at the moment. Another important set-back is the unsustainable market model which is currently in place for the magazine. Though readers can subscribe, there are not enough who are signed up to receive regular copies.

For this reason, the team at Loud and Quiet have created a new subscription package in which fans can pay the small amount of £50 per year for numerous perks. Included will be six editions of Loud and Quiet over the next 12 months; a commemorative zine showcasing the last 15 years of the magazine; a logo bookmark and pin; entry into an ‘Album of the Month’ vinyl draw. Along with this package, subscribers can still listen to the Loud and Quiet podcasts for free.

Stubbs confirmed that if enough people sign up, the releases will continue from August 2020, however, if this does not happen, the instalment which was released in March will be the last. Fans were glad to hear that as of 5th May, Loud and Quiet have achieved half of their subscriber goal – things are looking up, but there’s still a way to go. Readers can subscribe and discover more information via the website.

We are halfway towards our target of new subscribers to keep L&Q alive. Thank you to everyone who’s signed up already. The second 50% is tougher to reach, we’re told, but we’re feeling a lot more positive about it these days. https://t.co/W9ZwdNypgy pic.twitter.com/7ZPUb4aXdf

— Loud And Quiet (@LoudAndQuietMag) May 5, 2020

Covid-19 has had a significant effect on everyone in the music industry, especially independent record stores and magazines. Many musicians have joined campaign ‘Love Record Stores’ in the hopes to save as many as possible. In the current climate, streaming services and the refusal to buy tickets for local gigs has caused many areas of the music industry to crumble, and will continue to do so as long as society maintains its view that art is not worth paying for. One positive point which Stubbs made in his statement was that perhaps there “will be a reset in what we consider a fair price for the things we love.”