Courteeners secure their first-ever Official Number 1 album this week, breaking Official Chart records in the process.
The group’s 2008 debut St. Jude becomes the album with the longest time between release and charting at Number 1 in Official Albums Chart history, a staggering 14 years, 9 months and 14 days after its release. This is thanks to a 15th Anniversary Edition of the LP featuring remastered tracks, rarities and previously-unreleased material. The record reaches the summit with over 97% physical sales, and tops the Official Vinyl Albums Chart.
The Manchester-formed rock trio – comprising Liam Fray, Michael Campbell and Daniel ‘Conan’ Moores – also become only the third band in Official Chart history to chart a re-issued album at Number 1. They join The Rolling Stones (Goats Head Soup, Exile On Main St.) and The Beatles (Abbey Road, Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band) as the only groups to have achieved the feat.
St. Jude includes three Official Top 40 singles (Not Nineteen Forever, No You Didn’t, No You Don’t and What Took You So Long?), and previously peaked at Number 4 upon its initial 2008 release.
Speaking exclusively to OfficialCharts.com, Courteeners’ Liam Fray says: “Good Things come to thems that wait. God bless the fans.”
Elsewhere, London rapper Clavish scores a Top 5 debut with his mixtape Rap Game Awful, new at Number 4. The 28-track record includes collaborations with the likes of D-Block Europe, Fredo and MoStack.
Former Supergrass guitarist Gaz Coombes secures his first solo Top 10 with fourth studio album Turn The Car Around (6). The album tops the Official Record Store Chart, and lands at Number 2 on the Official Vinyl Albums Chart. Previously, Gaz enjoyed Top 40 success with 2015 release Matador (18) and 2018’s World’s Strongest Man (12).
Liverpool-formed indie rockers Circa Waves claim their fifth Top 40 LP with Never Going Under, debuting at Number 15. The group – comprising Kieran Shudall, Sam Rouke, Colin Jones and Joe Falconer – previously charted with 2015 debut Young Chasers (10), 2017’s Different Creatures (11), 2019 release What’s It Like Over There? (10) and 2020 record Sad Happy (4). Never Going Under also lands inside the Official Vinyl Albums Chart Top 10 (6).
Scottish singer-songwriter Joesef celebrates his first-ever Top 40 appearance with debut LP Permanent Damage (18), also scoring a Top 5 placing on the Official Vinyl Albums Chart (5). Meanwhile, fellow Scottish indie group Belle & Sebastian secure their 12th Top 40 album with Late Developers (30).
And finally, Dua Lipa’s former Number 1 album Future Nostalgia lifts eight spots back into the Top 40 as she bags a Best Pop/R&B nomination at the 2023 BRITs (38).
