As Oasis prepare to perform their first concerts next summer since 2009, new research undertaken by record labels association the BPI for this year’s National Album Day reveals their birthplace of Manchester is the most successful location in the UK for nurturing chart-topping groups.
The North West city, which is currently hosting the annual Beyond The Music festival and conference and whose music exports include not only the Gallagher brothers but many other bands such as The Smiths, Simply Red and Take That, has scored more No.1 studio albums with its groups on the Official Albums Chart than any other UK city or major town (with populations above 100,000) on a per-capita basis.
Thirty-five studio releases by Manchester groups have topped the countdown since the chart launched in 1956, spending 90 weeks at No.1 in total. These include seven studio albums by Oasis, led by the 10-week chart-topper (What’s The Story) Morning Glory, as well as their debut Definitely Maybe, which last month returned to No.1 via a 30th anniversary reissue.
The research has been carried out ahead of this year’s National Album Day, which will take place on Saturday, 19th October with a theme of Great British Groups. The annual event is organised by the BPI, the representative voice for the UK’s world leading record labels and music companies, and ERA, the UK’s digital entertainment and retail association representing music retailers and digital services. It is presented in association with official broadcast partner BBC Radio 2 and sees the music community come together each year to celebrate and promote the art of the album and encourage album listening, especially among younger fans.
Based on Official Charts data, the research looks at the UK cities and towns whose groups have achieved the most No.1 studio albums on the weekly Official Albums Chart. The top cities and towns are ranked on a per-capita basis, according to Office for National Statistics 2022 population estimates, to ensure the biggest locations are not given an unfair advantage because of their superior population sizes. The town or city assigned is where each group was formed, rather than where the members were born or grew up, while greatest hits albums, live sets and other compilations are excluded from the calculations.
Seven Oasis studio chart-toppers seal Manchester’s status as UK’s top destination for groups
What the analysis reveals is the rich tapestry of successful groups from across the entire UK with their success underpinned by the investment and support of their record labels. There have been No.1 studio albums by groups from every nation and region of the UK. However, no city or major town can match Manchester whose status as the UK’s hottest place for chart-topping groups is not only down to Oasis but the likes of The Chemical Brothers, Doves, Simply Red and Take That who were all formed in the city and have headed the Official Albums Chart multiple times. Besides all seven of Oasis’s studio albums having topped the chart, three releases by Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds also reached No.1. Other Manchester groups to hit No.1 include the Bee Gees, James, The Smiths and Swing Out Sister.
UK’s top cities and towns for chart-topping groups
Pos. Town/city
1. Manchester
2. Oxford
3. Liverpool
4. Wigan
5. Worthing
6. Salford
7. Sheffield
8. Basildon
9. Stockport
10. London
The above ranks UK cities and major towns (populations above 100,000) according to the number of chart-topping studio albums on the Official Albums Chart achieved by groups formed in each location. The figures are presented on a per-capita basis according to Office for National Statistics 2022 population estimates.
Source: National Album Day based on Official Charts data (up to chart week 38 2024).
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