Dave Hits a New Milestone and Lily Allen Returns in a Huge Week for British Artists

It’s been a huge moment for UK music, with Dave and Lily Allen both celebrating major milestones on this week’s Official Albums Chart.

Dave has officially become the first British rapper to debut three albums at Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart.

His third studio album, The Boy Who Played The Harp, lands straight at Number 1, giving the South London artist a trio of chart-toppers alongside PSYCHODRAMA from 2019 and We’re All Alone In This Together.

According to Official Charts data, The Boy Who Played The Harp earned an impressive 73,800 UK chart sales in its first week, making it the second biggest debut for a British album this year, just behind Sam Fender’s Mercury Prize-winning People Watching. It’s also the fourth biggest overall debut of 2025, behind Taylor Swift’s The Life Of A Showgirl, Sam Fender, and Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend.

As fans awaited the new album, many revisited Dave’s earlier work, sending his first two albums soaring back into the Top 40. This makes him the first British rapper in Official Chart history to have three albums in the Top 40 at the same time. PSYCHODRAMA rises 124 places with a 230% increase (17), while We’re All Alone In This Together climbs 107 spots, gaining 155% (26).

And that’s not the only record Dave has broken.

On the Official Vinyl Albums Chart, The Boy Who Played The Harp also takes the top spot and becomes the fastest-selling UK rap album on vinyl this century, moving 15,500 copies in the past week.

Meanwhile, over on the Official Singles Chart, Dave becomes just the second British rapper to have three Top 10 singles at the same time. His collaboration with Tems, “Raindance,” enters at Number 5, while his track with James Blake, “History,” arrives at Number 9, followed by “Charter 16” at Number 11. Stormzy was the first to achieve this in 2019.

Lily Allen Returns to the Top 5 with Her Highest Charting Album in Over a Decade

Lily Allen is also back in a big way, landing her highest-charting album in 11 years with her deeply personal project West End Girl (4).

The singer’s fifth studio album becomes her best-performing release since 2014’s Number 1 record Sheezus. West End Girl joins her run of Top 10 albums, including Alright, Still (2) from 2006, It’s Not Me, It’s You (1) from 2009, Sheezus (1) from 2014, and No Shame (8) from 2018.

So far, West End Girl has only been released digitally, but it’s already the most-streamed digital-only British album of 2025 in its debut week. It also tops the Official Album Downloads Chart as the UK’s most-downloaded record this week.

The album’s standout track, “Pussy Palace,” enters the Official Singles Chart at Number 12, marking Lily’s highest charting single since “Air Balloon” in 2014.

The physical release of West End Girl arrives in January 2026, right before Lily’s newly announced UK tour.

Martin Talbot, CEO of the Official Charts Company, congratulated both artists, saying:
“Congratulations to Dave on such an incredible first week for his new album. It’s an extraordinary accomplishment to set so many records just three albums into his career, with what’s already being hailed as a modern masterpiece.
“At the same time, Lily Allen’s return with her powerful and deeply personal album is equally impressive, especially with its huge impact as a digital-only release. It’s wonderful to see two very different British icons making such a strong statement in the same week and reminding everyone how alive and diverse British music is in 2025.”

Other Highlights from the Official Albums Chart

A big congratulations also goes to Bon Jovi, who hit a new peak at Number 2 with Forever (Legendary Edition). The updated version of their 2024 album gives the band their highest-charting record in 12 years, following What About Now in 2013.

Sigrid continues her run of success, earning a third Top 20 album with There’s Always More That I Could Say (12), joining her earlier projects Sucker Punch (4) and How To Let Go (2).

Bruce Springsteen returns to the charts as well, landing at Number 14 with Nebraska ’82: Expanded Edition. Featuring unreleased demos and recordings from his Electric Nebraska sessions, the project gives The Boss his 39th Top 40 entry.

Rising South London star Skye Newman achieves her first-ever Albums Chart appearance with her debut EP SE9 Part 1 (18).

Birmingham band The Clause also make their mark with their debut album Victim Of A Casual Thing (19). Members Pearce Macca, Liam Deakin, Jonny Fyffe, and Niall Fennell also top this week’s Official Independent Albums Chart.

Speaking about their success, The Clause shared with Official Charts:
“This is unbelievable—it doesn’t feel real yet. This is a dream come true for us. We’ve always wanted to show that it’s possible to do this independently through hard work and belief. We’ve grown up together, and this album tells that story. We can’t wait to celebrate with our friends and fans. This week has been the best of our lives. Thank you to everyone who made it happen.”

Elton John’s Captain Fantastic & The Brown Dirt Cowboy re-enters the Top 40 at Number 24 following the release of its 50th anniversary edition.

Brandi Carlile scores her first solo Top 40 album with Returning To Myself (30), after a landmark year that included a Number 1 record with Elton John on Who Believes In Angels? earlier this year.

British singer-songwriter Henry Moodie earns his first Top 40 entry with mood swings (31).

Finally, Different Class by Pulp returns to the charts at Number 38 to celebrate 30 years since its original run at Number 1, thanks to a special anniversary reissue.