Alex Warren spends a seventh week at the top of the singles chart with Ordinary. Stereophonics and Swedish band Ghost compete for supremacy in the albums chart.

Alex Warren’s Ordinary stays at the top of the singles chart for a seventh week. It is the longest continuous run at the top by a male solo artist since Noah Kahan’s Stick Season at the beginning of last year.

Chappell Roan’s Pink Pony Club is at number two for a fifth successive week, and a sixth in total. WizTheMC, along with Bees And Honey, continues to climb. Show Me Love is now at number three. Ed Sheeran slips to number four with Azizam. Ravyn lenae climbs four places to number five with Love Me Not.

After last week’s miserable one new entry, this week there is a positive glut of them. There was a time when five new entries would be considered very low, but it now counts as a reasonably healthy number.

Lorde started her career with the number one hit Royals in 2013. Sadly for her, she has yet to get a second top ten single. She has come close this week as What Was That enters at number eleven. Will she enjoy better luck next week?

Benson Boone gets his fifth top forty single with Mystical Magical at number seventeen. It is only the second chart hit with those two words in the title, following the Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour EP in 1967.

Sleep Token, or more likely their record company, must be congratulating themselves on their decision to release several singles from their new album before the release of the album itself. Most rock bands struggle to get any hit singles from one album. Sleep Token have now had three from Even In Arcadia which is released next week (9 May). Damocles is the third of those songs; it is at number 25 this week. I wasn’t too impressed with Caramel, but this is a good deal better.

Charli XCX made her chart debut as the featured artist on Icona Pop’s number one single I Love It in 2013. She continued to be a fairly regular visitor to the charts for the next few years. However, after 2018 she didn’t have a top forty hit as the lead artist until Beg For You in 2022. Since then she has resumed her regular visits to the chart and she has a new entry this week at number 34 with Party 4 U.

The new entry most likely to make older people think “What on Earth is this? Do people call this music?” is probably Skye Newman’s Hairdresser at number 35. Its unusual instrumentation and strained vocals make it stand out, although not necessarily in a good way. It is, not surprisingly, the first chart hit to have the word hairdresser in its title. 

Teddy Swims’ Lose Control is at number 40 for the third time in four weeks. That will be the cause of dismay for some Radio 1 Chart Show listeners as they always play the song at number 40 unless it is something unbroadcastable. 

There was a battle between two new albums this week for the top of the albums chart between veteran Welsh band Stereophionics and Swedish rock band Ghost. When Monday’s update showed Stereophonics with a healthy lead, they appeared to have number one in the bag. After all, neither band would be expecting to add substantial sales from streams. Almost all of their sales would be actual sales of downloads or physical copies.

However, Wednesday’s update showed that Stereophonics' lead had narrowed, suggesting that Ghost had a real chance of getting their first number one album. Eventually, though, Stereophonics held on and Make ‘Em Laugh, Make ‘En Cry, Make ‘Em Wait becomes their ninth number one album.

Ghost have been achieving steadily higher positions with each new album. Most recently, Prequelle reached number three in 2018 (becoming their second top ten album) and Impera got to number two in 2022. They haven’t quite managed to complete that progression as Skeleta also gets to number two. If it is any consolation for their fans, it is at number one on the vinyl albums chart.

Former talent show winner James Arthur gets his sixth top three album in six release with Pisces at number three. There are no prizes for guessing what his star sign is.

Sabrina Carpenter’s Short ‘n’ Sweet makes another of its occasional visits to a position other than numbertwo. It is at number four this week.

Rebecca Taylor, recording as Self Esteem, gets her first top ten album with A Complicated Woman at number five.

The remaining two new entries are both by Scottish bands, one of which has been around for nine years and one that was probably formed before any members of the younger band were born.

The newer of the two bands are folk pop band Tide Lines. Their last two albums have fallen just short of the top ten. Now they have done it again, but have come even closer to making it into the upper tier. Glasgow Love Story is a new entry at number eleven.

Simple Minds released their first album in 1979 but didn’t score a major hit until their fifth release New Gold Dream in 1982 which peaked at number three. The next four albums, including a live compilation, all topped the chart. This week they have another live album in the chart. Live In The City Of Diamonds, recorded in Amsterdam last year, is at number twenty.