Official Vinyl Albums Chart: @taylorswift13 returns to Number 1 following the release of The Tortured Poets Department’s The Anthology @taylornation13 #TSTTPDhttps://t.co/loLsntO9Dt pic.twitter.com/6oJjYD0pyb

— Official Charts (@officialcharts) December 8, 2024

It is the sixth physical release for “The Tortured Poets Department”. While five variants for a single album are indeed many, most artists tend to release the same amount between deluxe versions containing more songs and special editions for fans to collect. The amount of versions made available for this release have made fans speculate that Swift is releasing additional versions of her albums and singles to “block” other artists from reaching the top spots in charts.

Despite the allegations, there is no actual evidence that Swift wants to sabotage newer artists and her career proves it: Swift’s latest tour “The Eras Tour” has in fact been a stage for many young acts to gain fame. Sabrina Carpenter and Gracie Abrams supported many stops of the tour and are now topping UK charts with Abrams having her first UK single charting at number one for five weeks and Carpenter having a record-breaking number of weeks as number one.  

@le6la1 #taylorswift #theerastour #erastour #iloveyouimsorry #thesecretofus #gracieabrams #speaknowtaylorsversion #lastkiss #suprisesongtaylorswift #swiftie #swifttok ♬ Originalton – .

“The Tortured Poets Department” was originally released on physical copies on Record Store Day 2024, a couple days after its official release on music platforms. While the album was set to contain 16 songs, the night of the release Swift announced that it would be a double drop and surprised fans with the release of the second part of the album, titled “The Anthology”. “The Anthology” contained 31 songs including some deluxe tracks that Swift had previously teased. The first single to be released off the album was “Fortnight”, a song featuring Post Malone which quickly became number one in the UK.

“The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology” was released on physical copies on December 6 worldwide and the sales granted Swift a quick return to number one. Before this week, the record was charting at number sixteen. It is Swift’s twelfth album to achieve the number one position, while “Fortnight” became her fourth song to reach the position.

“I can Do it with a Broken Heart” was another single released from the album, and it peaked at number eight in the UK.

Earlier this summer, Swift took over the UK with her stadium tour “The Eras Tour”, which concluded this weekend in Canada. Swift performed three concerts in Edinburgh, three in Liverpool, one in Cardiff and six in London; all the shows were sold out, making “The Eras Tour” one of the most attended tours in history.

Taylor Swift’s new vinyl is available to be purchased online on the artist’s website.

The return of one of the UK’s most prolific guitarists comes in the form of a full-length studio album Luck And Strange, which was released on 6 September 2024 by Sony Music and is his fifth studio solo album to date. It has been nine years since English guitarist and singer-songwriter has released an album.

It is one of three of his solo albums to hit number-one status – the other two being On An Island (2006) and Rattle That Lock (2015) – alongside a flurry of singles from Luck and Strange steadily dropped since April 2024. With the first being The Piper’s Call followed by Between Two Points and Dark and Velvet Nights, the album’s title-track was released this week.

According to Rolling Stone, the album was recorded over five months at Gilmour’s Medina Studio in Hove and at Mark Knopfler’s British Grove Studios in London, with the producer Charlie Andrew.

The album grapples with themes regarding mortality and age. Turning 78 this year, it is no wonder these subjects are clearly on his mind. David Gilmour is best known for being one of the members of prolific rock band, Pink Floyd. He joined the band in 1967 and was part of the group during their most successful period. Pink Floyd, one of the most acclaimed and highest-selling bands of all-time, created some of the most ground-breaking albums in music history: The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977) and The Wall (1979).

He ranks at #28 on the Rolling Stone greatest guitarist of all-time list. If you haven’t listened to them already, here is a list of David Gilmour’s solo studio albums:
– David Gilmour (1978)
– About Face (1984)
– On an Island (2006)
– Rattle That Lock (2015)
– Luck and Strange (2024)

He is equally incredible live and David Gilmour will begin his Luck and Strange tour this month. So far, he has announced September-November shows through his website at Circus Maximus in Rome, Royal Albert Hall in London, the Intuit Dome and Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles as well as Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Luck and Strange is out and available on vinyl, CD and digital formats.

Luck and Strange tracklist:

1. Black Cat
2. Luck and Strange
3. The Piper’s Call
4. A Single Spark
5. Vita Brevis
6. Between Two Points with Romany Gilmour
7. Dark and Velvet Nights
8. Sings
9. Scattered

Bonus tracks
10. Yes, I Have Ghosts with Romany Gilmour
11. Luck and Strange (original Barn Jam)

Watch “Seaforth” below:

Born in Southwark, London, King Krule initially began recording music in 2010, releasing his first material, the mixtape U.F.O.W.A.V.E., in the same year. His first full-length album, 6 Feet Beneath the Moon, was released in 2013 on his 19th birthday, proving to be a success, and this was shortly followed by his second album, A New Place 2 Drown (2015), which featured not only audio tracks but also visual art, including a short documentary and a 208-page visual art book. This was released under his real name due both to a deeper personal connection with the album and a change in genre, jumping from the jazz fusion and indie rock sound of his first to alternative hip hop and trip hop in this.

His next two albums, The Ooz and Man Alive!, released in 2o17 and 2020 respectively, were met with further critical acclaim, and these too oversaw a progression of Marshall’s genre transcendence, delving here into art-rock and nu jazz.

Watch “Dum Surfer”, from the LP The Ooz, below:

Space Heavy, it would appear from its lead single “Seaforth“, marks yet another experimental moment. The track is a mixture of post-punk and striped down indie rock, and carries with it a dreamy and ethereal quality that seems almost nostalgic in nature. Lyrically, the album was constructed during Marshall’s commutes between residences in London and Liverpool, allowing him to focus on the theme of space, but more specifically the ‘space between’. It was made with help from the members of King Krule’s live band, with James Wilson on bass, George Bass on drums, Jack Towell on guitar and Ignacio Salvadores on saxophone, and undoubtedly marks a new era for King Krule which will be sure to leave fans of his intoxicated and wanting more, as has previously been the case.

The release of the album in June will be followed immediately by a celebratory four-date UK tour. See below for tour dates and venues:

11/06/2023 – 100 Club – London
12/06 – Marble Factory – Bristol
13/06 – Invisible Wind Factory – Liverpool
15/06 – Pryzm – Kingston upon Thames

Pre-order your copy of Space Heavy here now.

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The disco legend’s new release is their first studio album in 40 years and their first chart entry since their 1981 album The Visitors. The group have experienced chart success prior with compilations and greatest hits albums, Voyage is their newest album of fresh material to enter the charts.

The group spoke with OfficialCharts.com concerning their win, “We are so happy that our fans seem to have enjoyed our new album as much as we enjoyed making it! We are absolutely over the moon to have an album at the top of the charts again!”

The band’s ninth studio album has accumulated over 204,000 chart sales within its first week. The album has grossed the biggest opening week in four years within the UK’s Official Album Chart. The previous record-holder was Ed Sheeran for his album Divide which was released in 2017. Voyage’s total sales include the 29,900 units sold on wax, making 90% of the album’s sales on physical formats. Due to this success, the album has also become the fastest-selling release on wax of this century. This title was previously awarded to Arctic Monkey’s, their album Tranquillity Base Hotel & Casino sold over 24,500 vinyl sales within its first week in 2018.

The new release has also broken the sales record for an album by a group, Voyage has become the fasted selling album by a group in eight years. This title was previously held by One Direction for their 2013 album Midnight Memories. The Swedish singers are also the fourth group to secure over 200,000 chart sales in their initial week within this decade.

The Official Album Chart have also reported that the group have secured a total of 58 weeks as number one within the UK. Only two other acts within popular music have spent more weeks at the top spot, The Beatles and Elvis. The album has broken further records, the new release marks the tenth number one album for the quartet. Within chart history, only seven other acts have acquired more number-one albums than ABBA.  These acts are The Beatles, Elvis, The Rolling Stones, Robbie Williams, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and David Bowie.

In other news within the charts, Ed Sheeran’s newest album = drops to number two. The 30-year-old singer’s fifth studio album enjoyed a week at number one when initially released on 29th October 2021. James Arthur secures his fourth number three album this week with his new release It’ll All Make Sense In The End. The album debuts at the third position after being released on 5th November 2021 via Columbia Records.

Fans will be able to see ABBA perform their new material next year when the band start their UK concert series as digital versions of themselves. Ticketholders will be able to experience the “Mamma Mia” singers in general admission seats, auditorium seats or within a personal dance booth. The group’s comeback concert entitled ABBA Voyage will be held at London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The digitised group will perform within a custom build area and will be accompanied by a 10-piece live band.

Click here to purchase tickets.

The rapper’s second studio album debuted at the top spot this week with over 34,000 chart sales and an impressive 20.9 million streams. The release has beaten out the previous number one act, Inhaler, who dropped to number nineteen this week. The majority of the number one album’s sales were on physical configurations, 54% of sales came from CDs, Vinyls and cassettes, making the release the best-selling album on wax this week.

In the artist’s acceptance speech KSI celebrates his win, whilst thanking his fans, record label and creative team who helped him achieve the award. Within the video, the artist also gives a glimpse into the beginnings of his career as a YouTuber.

The 28-year-old artist released his second studio album on 16th July 2021 via the independent record label, RBC Records and its partner BMG. The album has sired five singles with three released before the album’s release and complete inception. The lead single ‘Really Love’, featured guest artists, pop icon Craig David and British DJ Digital Farm Animals. The single was released on 23rd October 2020 and debuted in the singles charts at number three. All but one of the album’s singles landed within the top three positions within the UK Singles charts, ‘Don’t Play’ and ‘Holiday’ reached number two and the third single ‘Patience’ landed at number three. The album’s latest single ‘Swerve’ released 2nd July 2021 landed within the UK singles charts at number sixty nine.

In the following interview with OfficalCharts.com, KSI discusses the process taken to complete the album. Within the interview the artist also discusses his progression within his career, whilst providing an insight into his personal and professional journey to further grow his musical talents.

The artist’s number one album features many collaborations including artists, Lil Durk, Rico Love, Deno, Future, 21 Savage and British singer and actor Yungblud. Much like Yunglud, KSI is also a man of many talents. The Watford born artist, otherwise known as Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji, began his career as a YouTuber and influencer and was named within the top 100 UK influencers by The Sunday Times in 2019. His YouTube career started at an early age in 2008-2009, in his teens, he would upload gaming commentary videos to his YouTube channel under his account name KSIOlajideBT. KSI would then go on to drop out of Sixth Form college to follow his passion and YouTube career. Despite his teacher’s disapproval and doubts, his channel went on to earn an income and eventually became an impressive revenue stream. After uploading more Vlogs and similar video game content to his channel, he reached a million subscribers in 2012.

After gaining traction within the industry, he was signed to Polaris, a subsidiary of American network Maker Studio in 2013 and was recruited to join British YouTube collective the Sidemen. The group would branch out from just video game commentaries and began to upload sketches and various challenges. KSI would publish his biography in 2015 titled ‘KSI: I Am a Bellend’, after he toured in support of his book, KSI published another book entitled ‘Sidemen: The Book’. His second book would go on to sell 26,436 copies and scored top billing within the hardback fiction charts. In 2017, KSI posted on social media notifying fans that he would be leaving Sidemen due to internal issues within the group.

Throughout his early YouTube career, KSI was also exploring his musical talent, this began with comedy rap songs in which he uploaded to his channel in 2011. He released his debut single on 23rd March 2015 entitled ‘Lamborghini’ which featured grime artist MC P Money, the single debuted in the singles charts at number thirty. KSI would start to achieve traction within the charts with his initial complete EP ’Keep Up’, released on 8th January 2016, the release charted at number thirteen within the UK album charts and debuted at number one within the UK R&B Album chart. Further releases would follow until his first studio album ‘Dissimulation’ was released on 22nd May 2020. The album was a critical and commercial success and was certified silver after achieving over 60,000 UK unit sales and charted at number two within the UK Album charts, giving the rapper his second-highest album chart position to date.

KSI is not just a YouTube star and musical artist, this talented individual has also held an amateur and professional career in boxing, where the star fought other YouTube personalities such as Joe Weller and Logan Paul. KSI has also tried his hand at acting professionally, he starred in the 2016 film ‘Laid In America’ alongside fellow YouTuber Casper Lee. A documentary about the multitalented star was also released in 2018 entitled ‘KST: Can’t Lose’, which charted his struggles and journey in the world of boxing.

Fans will be able to catch the vastly talented artist perform live at various events this year, including a UK tour this autumn and festival appearances. The rapper will be performing at this year’s Reading and Leeds festivals which was confirmed to be going ahead this Summer.

KSI UK Live Dates

26-29/08/2021 – Bramham Park – Leeds
26-29/08 – Reading Festival – Reading
10-12/09 – TRNSMT 2021 – Glasgow
01/10 – Glasgow Garage – Glasgow
02/10 – Riverside – Newcastle Upon Tyne
03/10 – Asylum Hull University Union – Hull
05/10 – O2 Institute Birmingham – Birmingham
06/10 – Old Fire Station Bournemouth – Bournemouth
07/10 – SWX – Bristol
08/10 – Brighton Concorde 2 – Brighton
10/10 – Waterfront – Norwich
11/10 – Cambridge Junction – Cambridge
12/10 – Manchester Academy 2 – Manchester
13/10 – O2 Forum Kentish Town – London
15/10 – O2 Academy Oxford – Oxford
16/10 – Liverpool Hangar 34 – Liverpool
25/02/2022 – SSE Arena Wembley – London

Announcing the album’s release on Instagram, the ‘Genre Fluid’ artist wrote: “I’ve been keeping this news under my hat for a while and FINALLY I can tell you all!! I’m so frikking excited to announce that my new album ‘Stand for Myself’ will be out on July 30th via @easyeyesound! This album was written over many years and is very personal to me. I’m so grateful to everyone that helped me realise every vision I had. I’ve never felt so creatively free, so seen, so heard. Love and thanks to everybody who co-wrote songs, performed, added their magic to the making of this record and those who continue to help me put music out into the world. The new single “Diamond Studded Shoes” is out everywhere now, tap the link in bio to watch the video directed by @ospinto or to pre-order the album!” 

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‘Stand By Myself’ is out on 30th July 2021 and has been produced by the Black Keys frontman and star-studded producer Dan Auerbach. Speaking on her upcoming album in a statement, Yola said: “It’s a collection of stories of allyship, Black feminine strength through vulnerability, and loving connection from the sexual to the social.” She continued: “all celebrating a change in thinking and paradigm shift at their core. It is an album not blindly positive and it does not simply plead for everyone to come together. It instead explores ways that we need to stand for ourselves throughout our lives, what limits our connection as humans and declares that real change will come when we challenge our thinking and acknowledge our true complexity.”

Alongside the announcement, Yola has also released the track ‘Diamond Studded Shoes’ from her upcoming album. The music video dropped for ‘Diamond Studded Shoes’ just several hours before she announced her second album. The singer explained the song explores the divisions between the classes and “calls on us to unite and turn our focus to those with a stranglehold on humanity.” The music video reflects the same theme, on this she said: “The Truman Show’ and is about being trapped in a false construct. It is supposedly perfect, but you’re trapped in a life that wasn’t meant for you. I wanted to convey the feeling that everything you know to be true is not quite working the way it’s supposed to. The island at the end is a paradigm of mental conditioning, we are all trapped on an island of our own thinking, until we change it.”

Her debut album ‘Walk Through Fire’ was released in 2019 and was nominated for Best Americana Album at the 62nd Grammy Awards; it also won UK Album of The Year at the UK Americana Awards. In 2020, Yola picked up a total of four nominations at the Grammys, including for Best New Artist. 

The Bristol based artist is due to appear at two festivals in Newport this summer and is then heading out on tour with Nashville star Chris Stapleton. 

‘Stand For Myself’ is available to pre-order now and you can watch the music video for ‘Diamond Studded Shoes’ now on YouTube.

Announcing the album’s release on Instagram, London Grammar wrote: “I can’t believe this day is finally here. After three years of hard work and a lot of waiting, our third album is finally out. It took a lot of self-reflection and soul searching; terrifying experimentation and vulnerability. This record means more to me than either of our previous albums. I can’t even explain why. All I know it’s that it’s changed me as a person and changed my life.To our fans, I just want to say thank you so much for your patience and support. I hope you love it as much as I do. H x”

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Lead singer Hannah Reid revealed in a recent interview with NME that she almost quit the “sexist and exploitative” music industry in 2019, and ‘Californian Soil’ is about gaining possession of her life. She said: “I was quite a feisty person in my teens, but somewhere along the line, I lost all of my confidence, I kind of lost my voice. And this album has given it back to me.” The album was recorded at band member Dan Rothman’s studio, and the track ‘How Does It Feel,’ was produced by Steve Mac, the man behind the production on Ed Sheeran’s 2017 hit single ‘Shape of You.’

The band had already dropped several singles from their third album prior to its release, including: ‘Californian Soil,’ ‘America,’ ‘Lose Your Head,’ and ‘Baby Its You.’ They performed their seventh track on the album ‘Baby Its You,’ last year on Later…With Jools Holland last year, it was also their first music release since 2017.

Forming at Nottingham University in 2009, the British band had released their debut album ‘If you Wait,’ before they had even graduated in 2013 and were ultimately discovered by a label in 2010 at a Camden Pub. The three-artist-band comprises Hannah Reid on Vocals, Dot Major on keyboard and drums, and Dan Rothman on guitar. Speaking on their name ‘London Grammar,’ they said: “not only was it where we’re from, but London is also so international and multicultural that it actually felt like quite a universal name in a way.”

The indie-pop trio will be performing ‘Californian Soil’ this Sunday on YouTube Music, which will be followed by a ‘premium-exclusive’ afterparty hosted by Greg James.

London Grammar are also heading out on tour this November, with all dates already sold out and they are also set to perform at London Victoria Park’s All Points East Festival, alongside Jorja Smith, Jamie XX, Foals and Bombay Bicycle Club.

You can listen to ‘Calfornian Soil’ now on all major streaming services and is available to buy from selected stores.

Writing about the release of ‘W.L.’ on Instagram, The Snuts frontman said: “Making this record has been the most exciting, heartbreaking, joyful and painful experience of my life. I love this too much and I tried so hard to never let that get in the way of making the best record we possibly could. Growing up I was pretty much terrified of everything. Walking out on stage still terrifies me each and every time. Everything changed for me when you started singing these songs back to me. I could do anything. Risks started to excite me. I could be brave and honest with my songs and could now deliver the middle peg to anyone whoever doubted me.Our album is out this week I really hope you love it- Jack.”

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The Scottish band’s debut album, ‘W.L.’ (Whitburn Loopy), features 17 tracks. The first song on the album ‘Top Deck’ was written by the band’s lead singer, Jack Cochrane, when he was just 13. It is a nod to their teenage years and how they dreamt of a career in music. The album documents their journey into the music industry, track by track.

Speaking with Far Out Magazine about the title of their debut album, lead singer Cochrane said: “It’s actually after ‘Whitburn Loopy’. We’re from a town called Whitburn, and every town in Scotland has what we call young teams, but it’s basically gangs. It’s a nod to how we started out on the streets and in the forest, playing the guitar, drinking cider and stuff like that. I feel like because the record is such a progression, it’s nice to name it something that meant a lot to us back then.”

Ahead of its release, The Snuts live-streamed a performance of their debut album ‘W.L’ at Stirling Castle. Speaking about the show, frontman Cochrane said: “In an effort to play our debut record back to back for our fans we decided to rent out a castle. And with a glimmer of hope on the horizon where live music is concerned, we wanted to make sure this was our grandest, most ambitious live stream show to date.”

The four-man band formed when they were just 15, having been friends at school. Releasing their debut single back in 2016, ‘Glasgow,’ they have since performed at several major UK festivals, including on the main stage at TRNSMT festival, and in 2019 the band made their US debut at the South by South West Festival in Texas. Speaking with Glasgow Times last year, they revealed their main influences are legend indie-rock bands such as the Libertines and Arctic Monkeys.

Earlier this year, The Snuts announced they will be heading out on their UK tour from September 2021, across 22 dates. Several dates have since sold out.

You can now order The Snuts’ debut album ‘W.L.‘ and it is available to stream on Apple Music and  Spotify.

Making the announcement on Instagram, Bugg wrote: “My new album ‘Saturday Night, Sunday Morning’ is coming out on 20 August and I can’t wait for you all to hear it. I’m heading out on tour across the UK and Ireland next year and if you pre-order the album now, you’ll be able to get early access to tickets. Check it out from the link in my bio and catch you at a show! Jake.” 

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  Alongside the written announcement, the singer-songwriter posted a candid video of himself walking through a park. Stumbling over his words and accompanied by his song ‘All I need,’ in the background, Bugg announces that he will be heading out on tour across the UK and Ireland next year. Adding that early access tickets are available through pre-ordering his upcoming album.  Bugg has already released four songs from the upcoming album: ‘All I Need,’ ‘Kiss Like the Sun,’ ‘Saviours of the City,’ and ‘Rabbit Hole.’ Speaking with Far Out Magazine about his single ‘All I Need,’ he said: “All I need is about a moment of satisfaction or clarity…A feeling that comes when you are completely engaged in what you are doing, however you arrived there.”

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the Nottingham artist played a series of shows ahead of his new album, including at the Roundhouse; however, the Covid-19 pandemic halted live shows shortly after.  Saturday Night, Sunday Morning is the 26-year-olds first album release since ‘Hearts That Strain,’ which was released in 2017. However, he has still been active on the scene, collaborating with Camelphat in 2019 and bringing out electro inspired track ‘Be Someone.’ He also released a live session covering ‘Circles’ in late 2020, putting his own spin on the Post Malone track. The track ‘Circles’ featured on Malone’s Grammy-nominated album ‘Hollywood’s Bleeding.’ 

Releasing his self-titled debut album ‘Jake Bugg’ in 2012, at the age of 18, it quickly reached the top of the UK album charts, and it went double-platinum. Bugg then released his second album ‘Shangri La‘ just a year later, featuring the hit single ‘Slumville Sunrise.’

Jake Bugg also revealed last November that he is currently in the process of writing music for an upcoming documentary on the life of esteemed Brazilian football player Ronaldinho. Speaking to the Sun newspaper’s Bizarre Column, he added that he has written ‘about an hour and a half’ worth of music for it. 

Bugg’s album will be released on the 20th August 2021, and he will be performing across 17 dates in the UK and Ireland tour, which will commence in Spring 2022.

You can pre-order ‘Saturday Night, Sunday Morning‘  from jakebugg.com and  ordering before Tuesday 23rd March gives you  early access to tickets for his UK and Ireland tour.

Listen to ‘All I Need,’ ‘Kiss Like the Sun,’ ‘Saviours of the City,’ and ‘Rabbit Hole,’ on Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube.

UK and Ireland Tour Dates

14/03/22 – O2 City Hall – Newcastle
15/03 – O2 Academy – Leeds
17/03 – Bonus Arena – Hull
18/03 – O2 Victoria Warehouse – Manchester
19/03 – Octagon Centre – Sheffield
21/03 – Corn Exchange – Edinburgh
23/03 – O2 Academy – Glasgow
24/03 – Ulster Hall – Belfast
25/03 – Olympia Theatre – Dublin
27/03 – O2 Academy – Birmingham
28/03 – University of East Anglia (UEA) – Norwich
30/03 – Rock City – Nottingham
31/03 – The Great Hall – Cardiff
01/04 – O2 Academy – Bristol
03/04 – O2 Academy – Oxford
04/04 – O2 Guildhall – Southampton
05/04 – O2 Academy Brixton – London