Bristol-based band IDLES is celebrating their second UK Official Number 1 album this week with “TANGK”, a remarkable achievement for the five-piece group consisting of Adam Devonshire, Joe Talbot, Mark Bowen, Lee Kiernan, and Jon Beavis. The album’s success is highlighted by its impressive opening week figures, with 85% of sales attributed to physical copies.
This marks IDLES’ fifth studio collection and follows their previous chart successes with 2018’s “Joy As An Act Of Resistance” which hit Number 5, 2019’s “A Beautiful Thing: IDLES Live At Le Bataclan” which peaked at Number 59, 2020’s “Ultra Mono” which got to Number 1. and 2021’s “CRAWLER” which charted at Number 3. Even their 2017 debut, “Brutalism”. made a return to the charts in 2022 following a limited edition reissue, going on to chart at Number 65.
“TANGK” not only claims the top spot on the UK Official Albums Chart but also secures the first position on the Official Vinyl Albums Chart and the Official Record Store Chart. This makes it the best-selling LP in UK independent record shops over the past week.
Expressing their gratitude to their fans in an exclusive statement to the Official Charts Company, IDLES remarked, “Thank you very much to all of you that’ve supported us, bought our album and got us to Number 1. It’s a beautiful feeling. We know, without any doubt, that it’s you that got us here.”
In addition to IDLES’ success, Paloma Faith achieves her sixth Top 10 album milestone with “The Glorification of Sadness”, delving into the London-born singer-songwriter’s exploration of her personal experience with divorce. Faith’s impressive discography includes previous Top 10 entries, 2009’s “Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful?” which hit Number 9, 2012’s “Fall To Grace” which peaked at Number 2, 2014’s “A Perfect Contradiction” which charted at Number 3, 2017’s “The Architect” which topped the chart, and 2020’s “Infinite Things” which claimed Number 4.
The legendary Bob Marley & The Wailers make a significant return to the Top 10 with their compilation album “Legend” after the release of the biopic Bob Marley: One Love in UK cinemas. The 1984 release has now spent an incredible 1122 weeks on the Official Albums Chart, marking its first appearance in the Top 10 since 2020. That wasn’t the only Bob Marley & The Wailers album to receive traction, “Exodus” impressively leapt a huge 93 places to Number 36.
The biopic isn’t only responsible for the uplift in the Bob Marley & The Wailers’ two albums, “Legend” and “Exodus”, the Jamaican ska and reggae band also experienced an uplift for two of their songs over on the UK Official Singles Chart with “Could You Be Loved” and “Three Little Birds” charting in the UK Top 100 for the first time since 1980.
Furthermore, indie rock outfit Crawlers achieves a major milestone with their debut album “The Mess We Seem To Make”, securing their first-ever Top 10 placement. The Liverpool-formed group, consisting of Harry Breen, Liv May, Holly Minto, and Amy Woodall, previously charted at Number 22 with the 2022 EP titled “Loud Without Noise”.
The diverse successes on the UK Official Albums Chart showcase the vibrancy and resilience of the music industry, with IDLES leading the way with their triumphant second Number 1 album, “TANGK”. For weeks we’ve had a new UK Number 1 album with no one being able to hold onto the top spot for more than a week, for months. We’re excited to see who manages to do just that this year.