There's a little bit of Royal Blood being shed on the UK album charts this week, though queen Kate Bush is really dominating things. The "Come On Over" duo debuted at No. 1 this week in England with its debut album, while Bush's return to the live scene helped launch her to break Official Charts records.
According to The Official Charts Company, Royal Blood's self-titled album was the highest-selling LP in the UK last week, becoming the best-selling rock debut album since Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds in 2011.
With a total of 66,000 copies sold of Royal Blood, the UK duo bested new releases from Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and Dolly Parton, thanks largely in part to the band's sizzling, creepy sing;e "Come On Over."
After eight weeks of dominating the UK album charts, Sheeran's new album x stuck around in the top 5 this week, clocking in at No. 2. And despite projections to debut atop the Billboard 200 this week, Grande could not compare to the UK's love of rock, as My Everything debuted at No. 3 overseas.
Though musical newcomers were all over the Official Charts, none could quite hold a candle to the legendary Kate Bush. After performing her first live shows in 35 years at the London Hammersmith Apollo, Bush has eight albums in the top 40 and 11 in the top 50, becoming the first female in the UK to do so.
Her albums The Whole Story (No. 6), Hounds of Love (No. 9), 50 Words for Snow (No. 20), The Kick Inside (No. 24), The Sensual World (No. 26), The Dreaming (No. 37), Never For Ever (No. 38) and Lionheart (No. 40) help her break the top 40 record, while Aerial, Director's Cut and The Red Shoes sit just below the top 40, at Nos. 43, 44 and 49, respectively.
Bush will continue her London residency on Sept. 2.
