Rising English singer-songwriter Jake Bugg made a dramatic start to his U.K. album chart career by debuting at No. 1 yesterday (Sunday) with his self-titled Mercury/Universal debut. “Sweet Nothing” (Columbia/Sony Music Entertainment) by Calvin Harris & Florence Welch went straight to the top of the singles survey.
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Bugg, born Jake Kennedy in Nottingham, in the Midlands of England, signed to Mercury last year and has widespread critical acclaim for the debut set. Opening sales of 35,000, according to the Official Charts Company, saw it upset the form book and deny Lewis an expected chart-topper. Bugg’s arrival at No. 1 comes in the same week that he makes his top 40 singles chart debut with the album’s “Two Fingers,” which races 86-33.
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His success pushed Mumford & Sons’ “Babel” album (Universal Island) back down to No. 2, on 28,000 sales, as Leona Lewis’ “Glassheart” (Syco Music/Sony Music Entertainment) arrived at No. 3 with 27,000. Its single “Trouble”, featuring Childish Gambino, fell 7-13. 2006 “X-Factor” winner Lewis was joined in the album top ten by 2010 series runner-up Rebecca Ferguson, whose debut RCA/Sony album “Heaven,” released last December, raced back into the chart at No. 5 in a newly augmented version. The new single from the deluxe edition, “Backtrack,” written by Ferguson and hit songwriter Eg White, opened at No. 15.
Next to arrive in the album top ten, at No. 6, was “The Haunted Man” (Parlophone/EMI), the third set by British scenester Bat For Lashes, a.k.a. Natasha Khan. That compares to a No. 5 start for its 2009 precessor “Two Suns.” There was also the first appearance in the U.K. album top ten as a solo artist for 34 years for Art Garfunkel, whose two-CD, 34-song collection “The Singer” (Columbia/Legacy/Sony Music Entertainment) entered at No. 10. That’s his best number since “Fate For Breakfast” reached No. 2 in 1979. “The Singer” includes two new songs, “Lena” and “Long Way Home.”
British folk collective Bellowhead made a career-best No. 16 debut with “Broadside” (Navigator), while “Now! That’s What I Call Music 82” (EMI TV/Universal Music TV) started its 13th week at the top of the compilation chart.
With 94,000 sales, “Sweet Nothing” marks the second time that Calvin Harris and Florence Welch have teamed on a U.K. No. 1 single in three months. In July, Florence + the Machine’s “Spectrum (Say My Name)” (Universal Island) spent three weeks at No. 1, fuelled by Harris’ remix. The Scottish-born DJ’s new album “18 Months” comes out in the U.K. next Monday (29).
Swedish House Mafia’s “Don’t You Worry Child” (Virgin/EMI), featuring John Martin, which entered atop the singles chart last week, fell to No. 2. British pop band Lawson opened at No. 6 with “Standing In The Dark” (Global Talent), follwing “When She Was Mine” and “Taking Over Me” as their third top ten hit in less than five months.
Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Getting Back Together Ever” (Mercury/Universal) climbed back 12-7 after her performance of the hit on “The X-Factor,” and Maroon 5’s “One More Night” (Octone/A&M/Universal) rose 18-8.