It’s a big week for British music as Dave and Lily Allen celebrate some incredible feats on this week’s Official Albums Chart.
First up, Dave becomes the first British rap act to debut three albums at Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart.
Third studio record The Boy Who Played The Harp lands straight in at Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart, securing the Brixton-born star a hat-trick of chart-toppers, joining 2019’s PSYCHODRAMA and We’re All Alone In This Together.
According to Official Charts data, The Boy Who Played The Harp notched up a massive 73,800 UK chart sales over the past seven days, making it the second biggest opening week for a British album this year, just behind Sam Fender’s Mercury Prize-winning People Watching. It’s also the fourth biggest opening week overall of 2025 so far, behind Taylor Swift’s The Life Of A Showgirl, Sam Fender and Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend.
As anticipation peaked for the release of his new record, Dave fans have been diving into his back catalogue too, sending his first two albums back into the Top 40. In doing so, Dave becomes the first British rapper in Official Chart history to land three albums in the Top 40 of the Official Albums Chart simultaneously. PSYCHODRAMA jumps 124 places with week-on-week uplift of 230% (17), as We’re All Alone In This Together vaults 107 places, surging 155% (26).
And the claims don’t end there.
Topping this week’s Official Vinyl Albums Chart, The Boy Who Played The Harp is named the fastest-selling UK rap album on vinyl this century, shifting 15,500 copies on vinyl over the past seven days.
While finally over on the Official Singles Chart, Dave becomes only the second British rapper in Official Chart history to secure three Top 10 singles simultaneously, too. Dave/Tems collaboration Raindance is this week’s highest new entry at Number 5, while James Blake team-up on History enters at Number 9, followed by Charter 16 (11). Stormzy was the first to do it in 2019.
Lily Allen nets highest-charting album in over a decade
Lily Allen nets her highest-charting album in 11 years with candid divorce record West End Girl (4).
Lily’s much-talked about fifth studio collection becomes her highest-charting album since 2014’s chart-topping Sheezus. West End Girl joins 2006’s Alright, Still (2), 2009’s It’s Not Me, It’s You (1), 2014 LP Sheezus (1) and 2018’s No Shame (8) in an unbroken run of five consecutive Top 10 studio albums for the West London singer.
Released only on digital platforms so far, no other digital-only release by a British artist in 2025 has been streamed more times in its opening week than West End Girl. It’s also the UK’s most-downloaded album of the week, landing at Number 1 on the Official Albums Downloads Chart.
West End girl track Pussy Palace also enters this week’s Official Singles Chart at Number 12, Lily’s highest-charting single since 2014’s Air Balloon.
West End Girl’s physical release is due in January 2026, just ahead of Lily’s newly-announced UK tour.
Commenting on Dave’s success, Martin Talbot, Chief Executive Officer, Official Charts says:
“Congratulations to Dave on an enormous first week for his acclaimed new album. It is a massive achievement to break so many records, three albums into his career, with what has been rightly acclaimed as a modern-day masterpiece.
“Meanwhile, Lily Allen is close behind in the Top 5 with her powerful, devastatingly personal new album, making a huge digital-only impact despite its short notice release last week. What a joy to see, in one week, the return of two very different British music icons, and for them to underline so powerfully the enduring health of British music in 2025.”
Elsewhere on the Official Albums Chart
A massive shout out goes to Bon Jovi with Forever (Legendary Edition), which a new Number 2 peak this week. The album, a revised version of the original Forever LP which debuted at Number 3 in 2024, secures the band their highest-charting album in 12 years, since 2013’s What About Now.
Sigrid scores a third Top 20 album with There’s Always More That I Could Say (12), which joins 2019’s Sucker Punch (4) and 2022 release How To Let Go (2).
Bruce Springsteen is back in the charts once again, this time with Nebraska ’82: Expanded Edition (14). Boasting previously unreleased demos and his Electric Nebraska sessions, it gives the chart icon a 39th Top 40 record.
Rising South London talent Skye Newman’s debut EP SE9 Part 1 secures her first-ever Albums Chart entry (18).
Birmingham-based band The Clause earn their first chart success with debut full-length LP Victim Of A Casual Thing (19). Pearce Macca, Liam Deakin, Jonny Fyffe and Niall Fennell also clinch the top spot on this week’s Official Independent Albums Chart.
Speaking on their achievement as an independent band, The Clause tell Official Charts:
“This is huge, it’s crazy! It hasn’t sunk in yet and probably won’t for a while.
“It’s a massive moment; one thing we’ve wanted to prove is you can do things like this on your own and you can get yourself up there with hard work and self-belief. We have grown up from boys to men together, and this album is the soundtrack to that.
“We can’t wait to celebrate with our mates and fans back home and just cherish the moment. This week has been the best week of our lives so far. Thanks to all the people who have made the dream a reality!”
Elton John sees Captain Fantastic & The Brown Dirt Cowboy re-enter the Top 40 following the release of 50th anniversary edition of the record (24).
Brandi Carlile claims her first solo Top 40 album with Returning To Myself (30). Brandi has had a hugely successful 2025, having already claimed a Number 1 record with collaborative Elton John record Who Believes In Angels? back in April.
British singer-songwriter Henry Moodie bags his first Top 40 with mood swings (31).
Lastly, celebrating 30 years since it first topped the Albums Chart, Pulp’s Different Class re-enters the chart thanks to an anniversary reissue (38).
