The Lathums set for number 1 album with ‘How Beautiful Life Can Be’

The Lathums are set to land a number one album later this week with their debut ‘How Beautiful Life Can Be’.

The band – who count Elton John and Paul Weller as fans – are currently 3,700 sales ahead of their nearest rival.

Behind the Wigan-based quartet, according to the Official Charts Company, are London group Public Service Broadcasting, who could land their highest-charting LP ever with ‘Bright Magic’.

Drake’s ‘Certified Lover Boy’, the chart’s most recent number one album, looks set to fall to number three.

Rounding out the prospective top five is Natalie Imbruglia’s ‘Firebird’ at number four, and Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Sour’ – currently the biggest-selling album of the year – at number five.

‘Firebird’ would give Australian singer Imbruglia, known for iconic 90s hit Torn, her first top 10 album in 16 years. (Since 2005’s Counting Down the Days.)

The Lathums have previously scored a Top 20 EP with ‘The Memories We Make’. In November 2020, they helped their home football team Wigan Athletic FC avoid administration by raffling a one-off vinyl.

Elsewhere, Sleep Token’s ‘This Place Will Become Your Tomb’ is at 11. The Clash’s 1977 self-titled debut follows at 12.

Nao’s third album ‘And Then Life Was Beautiful’ is on track to reach number 16.

Further down the chart, reissues of Robbie Williams’ first two solo albums, ‘Life Thru A Lens’ and ‘I’ve Been Expecting You’, are at 35 and 39 respectively.

Last week, Drake’s ‘Certified Lover Boy’ kept Lil Nas X’s hotly-anticipated debut ‘Montero’ off the top spot, as in the US.

However, Lil Nas’s critically acclaimed album did go to number one in territories such as Australia, Sweden and Ireland. It contains two of the year’s biggest hits: ‘Montero (Call Me By Your Name)’ and ‘Industry Baby’.