Rising Scottish DJ duo LF SYSTEM score their first-ever UK Number 1 single with inescapable summer smash Afraid to Feel.
The production outfit, consisting of Conor Larkman and Sean Finnigan, initially saw the track go viral on TikTok and have been on a steady five-week ascent up the Official Singles Chart to finally land in pole position as the UK’s Official biggest song in Afraid To Feel’s sixth week on chart.
The single, which samples Silk’s 1975 disco cut I Can’t Stop (Turning You On), is the first dance Number 1 in over a year, since Nathan Evans’ Wellerman, remixed by 220 Kid and Billen Ted. It’s been streamed an incredible 5.5 million times in the UK this week.
Nathan Dawe and Ella Henderson’s Destination Calabria-sampling dance banger 21 Reasons succeeds in its steady climb into the Top 10, reaching a new peak this week (10). This becomes Nathan’s second and Ella’s sixth Top 10 hit respectively.
Meanwhile, Burna Boy proves the nation’s unwavering appetite for a 2000s throwback as Last Last vaults 10 places (12). The Nigerian singer-songwriter’s fifth UK Top 20 single to date samples Toni Braxton’s 2000 Number 5 track He Wasn’t Man Enough.
OneRepublic’s I Ain’t Worried, taken from the Top Gun: Maverick movie soundtrack, continues its steady ascent to a new peak this week (21), as does Doja Cat’s Vegas (27) and Bru-C’s No Excuses (28). Having leaped 12 places this week, could the British rapper’s single soon find itself Top 20?
Could Metallica be on their way to ‘doing a Kate Bush?’ Just outside this week’s Official Singles Chart Top 40 lands Metallica’s Master Of Puppets, which marks its first appearance ever in the UK Official Chart (Number 47), some 36 years after its release.
Like Kate Bush’s Running Up The Hill, the title track from Metallica’s 1986 album of the same name is enjoying a resurgence thanks to Netflix’s Stranger Things, featuring in Eddie Munson’s guitar solo scene. If the song’s ascent continues over the coming days, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo could be heading for their first UK Top 40 single in 14 years. Metallica’s last UK Official Singles Chart Top 40 appearance was in 2008 with The Day That Never Comes, lifted from their Number 1 album Death Magnetic released the same year. See where every Metallica hit single and album charted in the UK.
Paulo Nutini and LF SYSTEM’s simultaneous Number 1s on the Official Albums Chart and Official Singles Chart respectively make it a Scottish double this week, showing the true calibre of creative talent coming out of the country.
The last time Scottish acts occupied the top positions on both UK Official Charts was March 2019, when Tom Walker’s What a Time to Be Alive album reigned atop the chart as Lewis Capaldi’s Someone You Loved single claimed Number 1.
Martin Talbot, Chief Executive, Official Charts Company, comments:
“Many congratulations to LF SYSTEM and Paolo Nutini, on what has proven to be a banner week for Scottish talent in the Official Charts. Scotland has a fantastic musical legacy across the 70 years of the Official Charts and to see Paolo and LF add to that in 2022 is fantastic to see.”
On the achievement, Robert Kilpatrick, Creative Director of the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) adds:
“Following key charts success last year from the likes of Mogwai and The Snuts, Scottish artists once again demonstrate a strong fan appetite for the diverse recorded output of our ever-evolving music scene; this time with an incredible charts double-hitter.
“Paolo’s much-anticipated and captivating new record topping this week’s Official Albums Chart firmly positions him as one of Scotland’s most adored and acclaimed acts, while LF SYSTEM gaining their debut Number 1 single this week highlights the growing strength and magnetism of Scotland’s electronic scene.
“While many challenges remain for our industry following the impact of the pandemic, today’s chart success is a positive step towards cultural recovery and signifies a magic and vibrancy of Scottish music at present.”
