St Albans band Enter Shikari have claimed their first-ever UK Number 1 album following a close-run chart battle - even beating Taylor Swift to top spot.
Enter Shikari, St Albans City FC's shirt sponsors, released seventh studio album A Kiss For The Whole World last Friday.
All week the quartet have found themselves in a nail-biting chart contest with Everything But The Girl's 11th album Fuse, the indie-pop duo's first together in 24 years.
In the final result announced today, Enter Shikari eventually finished 800 chart units ahead of their closest competition.
The 1975 climbed to number 2 in the week-ending chart with Live with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, and Everything But The Girl took third spot in the chart.
Taylor Swift was a new entry at number 4 with Record Store Day exclusive folklore – The Long Pond Studio Sessions.
After knocking Metallica's 72 Seasons off top spot, Enter Shikari posted on social media: "We did it. '𝘼 𝙆𝙄𝙎𝙎 𝙁𝙊𝙍 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙒𝙃𝙊𝙇𝙀 𝙒𝙊𝙍𝙇𝘿' is #1 in the U.K @officialcharts.
"Thank you so much to everyone that got behind it. This is for you.
"This kiss for the whole world."
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Enter Shikari's Live At Alexandra Palace 3 album was also a new entry at number 15.
In a video posted on Instagram from Heathrow Airport, Enter Shikari's Rou Reynolds said: “We’ve just found out that our album, A Kiss for the Whole World, is Number 1 in the Official UK Albums Chart. That’s mad.
"Thank you to everyone who streamed it, bought it and rallied round us; we appreciate you so much!
“We’re on an independent label, playing music with a very progressive message, so it’s mad that we’re up here in this position. Thank you so much. Big up, big love!”
The race for this week's UK Number 1 album went down to the wire, with Enter Shikari and Everything But The Girl both battling for their first-ever chart-topper on the Official Albums Chart throughout the week.
Enter Shikari - comprising of Chris Batten, Rou Reynolds, Rob Rolfe and Rory Clewlow - took an early lead in the race for this week's UK Number 1 album on Monday after weekend sales and streams.
But Everything But The Girl, including former Bishop's Hatfield Girls' School pupil and ex-Brookmans Park resident Tracey Thorn, went ahead by 650 chart units by Wednesday's update.
However, Enter Shikari edged in front again yesterday (Thursday), with less than 400 chart units separating the two acts at the time.
A final push on Thursday in the closing hours before midnight saw Enter Shikari reach the summit.
On Thursday, ahead of flying to America today, the band posted on social media: "No matter what happens with the UK chart tomorrow, we wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone. The support for this record has been breathtaking, and we’ve been touched by the messages we’ve received and the way everyone has got behind the 'race for Number One'.
"But, most importantly, we’ve loved hearing everyone’s thoughts about the album, online or in person at the signings. It’s meant so much to us. Thank you.
"We ALSO wanted to say; there’s a bit of a tendency right now for album campaigns to feel like they’re all leading up to The Chart Position. Like all the work and love that goes into writing, recording and packaging a record is all leading up to one moment on a Friday when you find out how its performed against other people’s writing, recording and packaging (which in itself is an odd concept).
"For us, regardless of where we end up tomorrow, this is just the beginning of this album’s journey. We can’t wait to take it around the world. Watch this space."
A Kiss For The Whole World is the Hertfordshire alt-rock quartet's seventh studio album. Chris Batten, Rou Reynolds, Rob Rolfe and Rory Clewlow, who will headline Hatfield's Slam Dunk Festival in May, have previously claimed five top 10 records.
They reached number four in the charts with 2007 debut Take To The Skies, a feat they repeated with 2012’s A Flash Flood of Colour.
2015’s The Mindsweep reached number six, while 2017’s The Spark peaked at five.
This was followed by their previous highest-charting LP, 2020’s Nothing Is True And Everything Is Possible, which entered the charts at number two.
Everything But The Girl - AKA husband and wife duo Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn - have previously claimed four top 10 LPs - 1985’s Love Not Money (10), 1990’s The Language of Love (10), 1993’s greatest hits compilation Home Movies (5), and 1996’s Walking Wounded (6).
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