The Lottery Winners have scored their second Number One album with ‘KOKO’, coming above the likes of Sabrina Carpenter and Lady Gaga in the Official UK Albums Chart.
The group made headlines in 2023 when their third LP ‘Anxiety Replacement Therapy’ reached the summit on the Official UK Albums Chart. Now, their latest album ‘KOKO’ (Keep On Keeping On), which was released last Friday (March 21), has made it to the top.
The band from Leigh, in Greater Manchester, is made up of Thom Rylance, Robert Lally, Katie Lloyd and Joe Singleton. Speaking about the achievement, The Lottery Winners said: “‘KOKO’ is the UK’s Official Number 1 album! It’s been a lot of work, but this makes it all worth it. It’s such a whirlwind of emotions. We’re so grateful to everybody to be supporting us and the album.
“Go back in time and tell 12-year-old us that we’d have two Number One albums, it’s amazing. This is for grassroots music. This is for the working class. This is for Leigh. This is for anybody who has a dream – go out there and get it. Make it happen!”
The Official Charts presented The Lottery Winners with their award at their ‘KOKO’ album shop; a pop-up store at Leigh’s Spinners Mill complex.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, congratulated the band on their achievement. He said: “I’ve been a big fan of The Lottery Winners since they started out playing pubs and clubs around Leigh, and I know the whole town will be proud of them today.
“Landing a first Number 1 album was brilliant, but to do it again is something properly special. They’re one of the hardest working bands in the business and they deserve every bit of this success.”
The Lottery Winners came above Sabrina Carpenter, Deacon Blue, Lady Gaga and Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco in the Official UK Albums Chart.
Official Albums Chart Top Five:
- The Lottery Winners – ‘KOKO’ (Modern Sky)
- Sabrina Carpenter – ‘Short N’ Sweet’ (Island)
- Deacon Blue – ‘The Great Western Road’ (Cooking Vinyl)
- Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco – ‘I Said I Love You First’ (Interscope)
- Lady Gaga – ‘Mayhem’ (Polydor)
‘KOKO’, named after the motto ‘keep on keeping on’, features the single ‘Ragdoll’, which includes a guest appearance from Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger, who the band got to know when they supported the ‘How You Remind Me’ rockers on a UK and European arena tour last year. Other guests on the album include Frank Turner, Shed Seven and Reverend & The Makers.
The album also debuted atop both the Official Vinyl Albums Chart and the Official Record Store Chart. The Lottery Winners are set to embark on their 2025 ‘Keep On Keeping On’ UK headline tour next month. Find any remaining tickets here. Additionally, the band will hit the UK festival circuit this year with slots scheduled at Isle Of Wight Festival, Kendal Calling, Bearded Theory and more.
Last year The Lottery Winners frontman Thom Rylance spoke to NME about his regret at starting a row with Kate Nash over the lack of working-class representation in the arts. Rylance tweeted that Nash shouldn’t try to represent working class musicians, as well as criticising her background as a former pupil of the BRIT School, mistakenly labelling it a fee-paying establishment.
Apologising to Nash, he said: “I’m sorry, genuinely. What Kate is doing is great, because she’s highlighting the systemic problems working class people face in the arts. The lack of access working class people face is very disproportionate in the music industry and other arts. I agree with everything Kate is saying, and I want to join her in being a voice too.”
