Manic Street Preachers have topped the UK Albums Chart for the first time in more than two decades with ‘The Ultra Vivid Lament’.
The group came out on top following a closely-fought chart battle with pop titans Steps, who finished in second place with ‘What The Future Holds Pt. 2’.
“A huge thank you to everyone involved for making this happen,” they tweeted, adding it’s “great to be number one with a record we genuinely LOVE.”
It was deja vu for fans of the groups, who last went head-to-head in 1998, when the Manics’ ‘This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours’ blocked ‘Step One’ – the group’s debut – from the top spot.
After the charts were announced, Steps posted: “WHAT A WEEK it’s been!! We wanted to thank you all SO much for your outpouring of love for our new album #WTFH2.
“We are delighted to be number two on this week’s official UK album chart and congratulate the Manics on their #1!”
Elsewhere in the charts, there was also cause for celebration for Saint Etienne, whose 10th LP ‘I’ve Been Trying To Tell You’ hit No. 14, becoming their first Top 20 album since 1994’s ‘Tiger Bay’.
The album, which is built around samples from the late ‘90s, is accompanied by an Alasdair McLellan-directed film of the same name.
