Noah Kahan's Stick Season remmians at the top of the singles chart. James Arthur gets a second number one album.

Noah Kahan gets a fifth week at the top of the singles chart. Three new releases compete at the top of the albums chart.

Noah Kahan’s Stick Season gets a fifth week at the top of the singles chart, once again finishing well ahead of all rivals. Kahan’s Sam Fender-enhanced new version of Homesick falls to number eight.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor stays at number two with Murder On The Dancefloor. It is the song’s fifth week as runner-up but this is the first time it has spent successive weeks in this position. Teddy Swims climbs to number three with Lose Control. Jack Harlow;’s former number one Lovin On Me is at number four. Ariana Grande is at number five with Yes And.

YG Marley makes his UK chart debut at number twenty with Praise Jah In The Moonlight. It samples Crisis by Bob Marley who just happens to have been YG’s grandfather. His mother, Lauryn Hill, enjoyed chart success as a member of The Fugees and later as a solo artist. YG joins his grandfather and uncles Ziggy and Damian in getting the most famous surname in reggae into the charts.

Last month, all-female rock band Last Dinner Party were named as the winners of the BBC’s Sound Of 2024 poll. They had already won the Brits Rising Star award the previous month. Their debut album was released today (Friday). In the meantime, they get their first hit single with the rather wonderful Nothing Matters at number 22. Other hits about nothing include Nothing Rhymed (Gilbert O’Sullivan), Nothing Has Been Proved (Dusty Springfield) and Nothing Ever Happens (Del Amitri).

However many attempts are made to put Meghan Thee Stallion somewhere where she has no access to recording equipment, she somehow manages to bolt and record some more rubbish. Sadly, that rubbish keeps getting in to the chart. Her latest abomination, Hiss, is at number 31.

The best thing I can say about Skepta’s latest single, Gas Me Up (Diligent), is that it isn’t as terrible as the Meghan Thee Stallion thing. By entering at number 32 it becomes Skepta’s 22nd top forty hit.

The claim that older artists can no longer get hit singles continues to be challenged. This week, Madonna, who had her first hit single in 1983, scores her 64th top ten single as Popular (where she is featured artist alongside The Weeknd) climbs to number ten. It is her first top ten hit since Celebration reached number three in 2009. Also this week, Justin Timberlake (first hit as a member of NSYNC - 1996) takes his tally of top forty singles up to 27 as Selfish lands at number 37.

Another week, another male singer-songwriter makes his debut in the UK top forty. This week it is the turn of Michale Marcagi who sits at number 38 with Scarred To Start. His UK career as a solo artist has already surpassed that of his band The Heavy Hours who have made no impact whatsoever on the UK charts. Michael Marcagi should not be confused with Michael McCartney who, performing as Mike McGear, was a member of The Scaffold. Mike’s brother’s band did quite well too.

In the first albums chart update, on Monday, three new releases were in contention for the top spot. Two of the contenders, albums from The Smile (Wall Of Eyes) and The Reytons (Ballad Of A Bystander) were almost tied in first place. However, the album that ends the week at the top of the chart is the one that was at number three on Monday, James Arthur’s fifth album Bitter Sweet Love. The former X-Factor winner also topped the chart in 2016 with his second album Back From The AEdge. His other releases all reached the top three.

Regular readers will know that I am generally in favour of British singers singing in thei natural accent rather than some mid-Atlantic sound. This week we have two new entries from such artists. You don’t need to listen to The Reytons for very long to be ankle to guess that they (or their singer at least) are from somewhere very near Sheffield, home of Arctic Monkeys. The south Yorkshire accent (Rotherham in this case) is unmistakable. Their first two albums reached numbers 27 and eleven before their third set, What’s Rock ‘n’ Roll topped the chart a year ago. Two releases within a year can mean a significant drop in quality for the second of those releases. Thankfully, that isn’t the case here. Ballad Of A Bystander is rather good and is at number two.

The Reytons’ fellow Yorkshiremen, New Model Army, are at number 31 with Unbroken. It comes forty years after they released their debut album.

At number three is The Smile’s second album Wall Of Eyes. Two of their members, Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, are rather better known for their work with Radiohead. It is at number one in the separate vinyl chart.

Noah Kahan’s Stick Season is at number four. Tom Odell, another artist to have made a surprise return to the singles chart, enters at number five with his sixth album Black Friday.

The other album from a singer keeping his normal accent is the unmistakably Welsh Gruff Rhys who first found success with Super Furry Animals. He gets a fourth top forty solo album with Sadness Sets Me Free at number 22.

Synth-pop band Future Islands are at number seven with People Who Aren’t There Anymore, their first top ten album. Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes have a fourth top ten album with Dark Rainbow at number ten.

Abba Gold, as reported in earlier commentaries, has become more or less a permanent fixture in the albums chart since streaming data was included. This week, it is at number twelve and becomes the first album to spend 500 weeks in the top forty (it celebrated 1,000 weeks in the top 100 three-and-a-half years ago). Thanks to Colin (zeuss at Buzzjack, orthon at Haven) for pointing that out. It does, of course, mean that later this year it will notch up an accumulated total of ten years in the top forty.