U.K. MIDWEEKS: 5SOS, ADELE TO RULE

It’s the halfway point in this week’s race to #1, and we’ve got the lowdown on who’s running ahead in Blighty. There’s no doubt Adele will top the Official Singles Chart with “Hello” (XL/Columbia), while Capitol’s Aussie lads 5 Seconds of Summer look set to steal the albums crown with Sounds Good Feels Good. So where’s everyone else?

5SOS's closest competitor is Bryan Adams with his new album Get Up, which got a U.K. release on Friday via Polydor. At #3 is Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott with Wisdom, Laughter and Lines (EMI), followed by Decca opera star Andrea Bocelli with Cinema. Irish singer Daniel O’Donnell rounds out the Top 5 with The Hank Williams Songbook (DMG TV).

Carrie Underwood is expected to be the biggest debut this week stateside and is sitting at #10 midweek on the U.K. Official Albums Chart with Storyteller (19 Recordings/Arista). Joanna Newsom is on track to score a personal chart best with Divers at #7 (Drag City).

Adele has broken records on Vevo (most viewed video in a day) and set the single-day U.S. streaming record on Saturday with her first single in three years, “Hello.” The performance of the track on her home turf is no exception. “Hello” is on course to become the fastest-selling single of 2015, according to the Official Charts Company. Based on early figures, the track has already shifted in excess of 165,000 combined sales and streams since its unveiling on Friday, including 156,000 U.K. downloads alone. That’s an average of 52,000 downloads a day since release, and full-week combined figures are expected to be higher still. The record for biggest opening week of 2015 currently lies with Ellie Goulding - “Love Me Like You Do” (Polydor) managed 173,000 combined sales and streams in its week of release, a figure Adele should comfortably bulldoze through ahead of Friday’s chart reveal.

Meanwhile, Justin Bieber debuts at #2 with his new single, “Sorry” (Def Jam). The track follows Bieb’s recent chart-topper “What Do You Mean?” and is the second single from his forthcoming album Purpose.

Sam Smith’s Bond theme “Writing’s On The Wall” (Capitol) leaps #11 to #3 following his performance on last Friday’s Graham Norton Show, while last week’s #1 from Ministry of Sound “Turn The Music Louder (Rumble)” by KDA slips to #4. Drake’s “Hotline Bling” (Cash Money/Republic) completes the singles Top 5.