Rex Orange County scores first UK Number One album with ‘Who Cares?’

Each week, we here at Official Charts compile the best and most exciting releases of New Music Friday, to give you a chance to hear the future hits on the Official Singles and Albums Chart. Let's dive in!

Red Hot Chili Peppers are currently leading the pack in the race for this week’s Number One album in the UK.On Friday (April 1), the California icons released their 12th studio LP, ‘Unlimited Love’, marking their first full-length project since 2016’s ‘The Getaway’.The album sees the band reunite with guitarist John Frusciante, who left Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2009. He last appeared on the group’s 2006 Number One album ‘Stadium Arcadium’.In the midweeks, the Official Charts Company has revealed that ‘Unlimited Love’ is outselling its closest competition – Ed Sheeran‘s ‘=’ – by 8:1.

It turns out celebrities love to get involved with their favourite franchises as much as fans do, and that's lead to many major cameos in hit films and TV shows. As Ben Shephard dropped the bombshell that he appeared in a Harry Potter movie on Good Morning Britain,OK! started to wonder what other famous faces have slipped into the background of iconic films or TV series.

Dave’s Starlight sets a new chart record today as it secures its fourth consecutive week at Number 1. 

Dave marks a fourth week at Number 1 with Starlight, though Belters Only are beginning to close in with Make Me Feel Good ft. Jazzy.

Naman Ramachandran Concert for Ukraine, the fundraising event for the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal on Tuesday, saw £13.4 million ($17.6 million) raised from sponsorship, ad revenue, ticket sales and public donations. The two-hour event, which was live from the Resorts World Arena Birmingham, and broadcast exclusively on ITV and STV, featured performances from Anne-Marie, Becky Hill, Camila Cabello, Nile Rogers & Chic, Ed Sheeran, Emeli Sandé, Gregory Porter, Jamala, The Kingdom Choir, Manic Street Preachers, Nicola Benedetti, Snow Patrol and Tom Odell.A highpoint of the evening was a violin performance, which saw the recent viral video of young violinist Illia Bondarenko playing the Ukrainian folk song “Verbovaya Doschechka” from a basement shelter along with 94 violinists from around the world, joined up with a live performance in the room by Nicola Benedetti.

Announced earlier this month, the two-hour benefit show will air on ITV tomorrow night in aid of the Disasters Emergency Committee‘s (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.Ed Sheeran leads the line-up, and is set to perform along with Camila Cabello, Emeli Sandé, Gregory Porter, Snow Patrol, Nile Rodgers and Chic, Manic Street Preachers, Tom Odell and Becky Hill at the show, which takes place at Resorts World Arena Birmingham.All sponsorship and advertising revenue generated from the broadcast of the event – which is expected to raise over £3million – will be donated by ITV to the DEC fund.Don't miss #ConcertForUkraine at #ResortsWorldArena with some of the UK's biggest stars on 29 March. Watch live on ITV, STV or online.Funds raised will go towards the DEC #UkraineAppeal to help provide aid to people fleeing conflict.Show your support: https://t.co/mYORFH6dLZ pic.twitter.com/2iHiya7vUL— DEC (@decappeal) March 27, 2022Over the weekend, it was revealed that Ukrainian band Antytila have been told they can’t play the upcoming benefit concert for their country because it’s “only able to focus on the humanitarian situation”.After hearing of the concert’s announcement, the members of Antytila – who are currently fighting the Russians in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv – sent a video message to Ed Sheeran via Facebook to ask to play the concert remotely from their home country.The ‘Bad Habits’ hitmaker responded by telling the band: “I just watched your video this morning, thank you so much for sending it.

Dave secures a third consecutive week at Number 1 in the UK with Starlight.  

Matt Goss is feeling ambitious. 

Dave’s Starlight could be heading for its third week at Number 1 this Friday, although Aitch & Ashanti could mount a challenge with Baby – last week’s highest new entry – still Dave’s closest competition at Number 2.

Dave settles in for a second week at Number 1 in the UK with Starlight.  

Rex Orange County scores his first-ever UK Number 1 album with Who Cares?, beating off tough competition from Swedish rockers Ghost.  

Rex Orange County may ask Who Cares? on his new album, but it's clear that - after an already varied and impressive career - the answer to that is: quite a lot of people, actually

Radio 1 has announced the line-up for this year’s Big Weekend festival, which will take place in Coventry in May. Headlining the first physical edition of the event since 2019 – thanks to the pandemic – will be Mr Ed Sheeran himself.“I can’t wait to kick off festival season and perform in front of a live audience at Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2022 in Coventry”, says Sheeran, covering all the facts as efficiently as possible.If you’re wondering what a less efficient version of that statement would look like, here’s Head Of Radio 1 Aled Haydn Jones: “We are kicking off the UK’s festival season in true Radio 1 style with an incredible line-up of acts already on the bill, and more exciting names to be revealed this week.

Camila Cabello has announced an “immersive” TikTok concert to celebrate the release of her new album ‘Familia’.The singer-songwriter is set to play a special set on the video platform on April 7, the eve of her third record’s release. Per an official listing, the show will feature “the first-ever live performances” of tracks from ‘Familia’.Cabello’s forthcoming online performance is described as “a fantastical trip through the artist’s mind, with shifting sets and costumes designed to complement the music”.“The performance was created using eye-popping XR, augmenting Camila’s singing and choreography with immersive visual effects bringing Camila’s creativity to her fans like never before,” the description added.Welcome to the family.

Rex Orange County is heading towards his first UK Number One album this week with new record ‘Who Cares?’.Alex O’Connor’s fourth album was released last Friday (March 11) and currently sits at the top of the midweek charts, ahead of new releases from Ghost, Bryan Adams and Franz Ferdinand.Elsewhere in the Top 40, BODEGA are at 28 with second album ‘Broken Equipment’, while Sam Fender‘s chaotic performance on Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway at the weekend (March 12) sees his hit ‘Seventeen Going Under’ rising 14 places to #22 in the midweek Singles Chart.See a full breakdown of the midweek charts below.Who Cares? Loads of people, evidently…Rex Orange County (@rexorangecounty) is on course for his first UK Number 1 album this week

Rex Orange County is on course to claim his first ever UK Number 1 album this week with Who Cares? 

Starlight by Dave becomes the British rapper’s first Number 1 on the Official Irish Singles Chart.

Ella Henderson's second album has finally arrived.