Stereophonics lead all-new Official Albums Update Top 3 with Scream Above The Sounds

Stereophonics are out in front on today’s Official Albums Chart Update, a lead that could secure them their seventh Number 1 by Friday evening.

Scream Above The Sounds, the 10^th studio album from the Welsh group currently has a lead of 11,000 combined chart sales (physical, download and streaming) and has shifted 34,000 units as of today’s sales flash.

Stereophonics’ last studio album Keep The Village Alive reached the top spot in September 2015, while their first chart topper was 1999’s Performance and Cocktails. Should the group hold onto their lead and earn a seventh Number 1 album, they will have as many Number 1s as Westlife, Take That and Coldplay.

MORE: View this week's Official Top 100 Albums Chart Update in full

Landing at Number 2 today are Michael Ball & Alfie Boe with their second album Together Again. This album is the follow-up to last year’s Christmas Number 1 record Together, which also debuted at Number 2 before climbing to Number 1 on its sixth week on chart.

Rounding out this week’s Update Top 5 are Gregory Porter’s Nat King Cole & Me, which could become his highest charting album ever at Number 3, Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, last week’s Number 1 from George Michael (4) and P!nk’s Beautiful Trauma at 5.

MORE: The UK's Official Top 40 biggest albums of 2017 so far

New entries and high climbers

The Crying at the Disco deluxe edition of Steps’ comeback album Tears On The Dancefloor makes a start at Number 6 following a performance on Strictly Come Dancing, while a sixth Top 10 album is on the cards for Kelly Clarkson – Meaning Of Life begins at Number 9 today.

Michael Jackson’s Halloween themed album Scream is set to vault 88 places to Number 11 following a glow-in-the-dark vinyl release, Hollywood Undead are aiming for a personal best at Number 16 with Five, and Michael Buble’s annual ascent with Christmas continues this week, he’s up 13 positions to Number 17.

MORE: Look back over every Official UK Number 1 album EVER

Elsewhere on chart, potential new Top 40 entries this week include Skrapz’s Different Cloth (20), Prince of Tears from Baxter Dury (21), Weezer’s Pacific Daydream (24) and Whitesnake’s 1987 (26).

Finally, Margo Price is hoping for her first UK Top 40 album with All American Made at Number 36, and Deaf Havana’s All These Countless Nights could re-enter at Number 38 following the release of a Reworked edition.

View this week's Official Top 100 Albums Chart Update in full