U.K. CHARTS: RAG TO RICHES

On his way to #1 on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart, Rag’n’Bone Man’s Life by Misadventure (Columbia) outsold the rest of the Top 5 combined to claim the biggest opening week for a British act in 2021.

Life by Misadventure registered 42k in sales, including 33k on physical formats, making it the fastest-selling album by a solo artist this year. It’s Rag’n’Bone Man’s second album and second #1 following 2017’s Human, which clocked 1.2m in U.K. chart sales and returns to the Top 40 this week, at #35.

In second place in the all-new Top 5 is Michael Ball’s 24th Top 40 album, We Are More Than One (Decca). Two debut full-lengths are next; Dodie is new at #3 with Build a Problem (Doddleoddle) and Squid’s Bright Green Field (Warp), the week’s best-seller on vinyl, enters at #4. Van Morrison’s Latest Record Project Volume 1 (BMG) rounds out the Top 5.

Weezer claims its first Top 40 album in 13 years with Van Weezer (Crush/Atlantic) at #30.

On the singles chart, “Body” (Atlantic) by Tion Wayne & Russ Millions nabs a second week at #1, scoring 81k in chart sales in its biggest week yet. It had 11.8m streams—double the plays of its closest competition—holding off Lil Nas X’s “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” (Columbia), at #2.

Several acts who performed at this week’s BRIT Awards enjoyed a post-show lift; The Weeknd’s “Save Your Tears” (XO/Republic) rose three slots to a new peak of #5, Rag’n’Bone Man & P!nk’s “Anywhere Away From Here” rocketed 22 places to #9 and Coldplay’s show opener, “Higher Power” (Parlophone), opened at #12.