5 Seconds Of Summer neck and neck with Ed Sheeran in albums race

Less than 1,000 copies currently separate 5SOS and Ed Sheeran on today’s Official Albums Chart Update.

5 Seconds Of Summer are going head to head with Ed Sheeran in the race to top this week’s Official Albums Chart.

The Aussie pop rockers’ self-titled debut album is currently in pole position in today’s midweeks. However, with less than 1,000 copies currently separating it from Ed’s latest album X, 5SOS have a fight on their hands if they want to hold onto the Number 1 spot come Sunday’s final whistle.

Ed Sheeran’s X (pronounced ‘multiply’) topped the Official Albums Chart last week. In the process, it took the title of the fastest-selling artist album of 2014, selling more than 182,000 copies during its first week on sale in the UK.

George Ezra looks set to score this week’s second highest new entry. The 21-year-old singer/songwriter from Hertford is new in at Number 3 midweek with his debut album, Wanted On Voyage.

Following her much talked about performance at last weekend’s Glastonbury festival, Dolly Parton’s Blue Smoke climbs three places to Number 4, while her 2004 Greatest Hits collection, The Very Best Of Dolly Parton re-enters at 34.

In The Lonely Hour by Sam Smith (Number 5) completes today’s Top 5.

New Entries and High Climbers

David Gray is new in at Number 10 on today’s Official Albums Chart Update with his tenth album, Mutineers, while folk group Bellowhead are set to enter one place behind him with their fifth album, Revival (Number 11).

John Barrowman is on track for his fifth Top 40 album with his new collection, You Raise Me Up, and Trey Songz is at 16 with his sixth album, Trigga.

As fans remember the fifth anniversary of his death, Michael Jackson’s Bad is set to re-enter the Top 40 this weekend. The 1987 album, which is the ninth biggest seller of all time, is at 18 today.

Following their headline set at last weekend’s Glastonbury festival, Metallica’s eponymous 1991 album, which fans have dubbed ‘The Black Album’, has climbed 30 places to Number 19.

And finally, classic albums from Pink Floyd, Bon Jovi and Monty Python have re-entered the midweek Top 40 thanks to deluxe reissues: The 20th anniversary edition of Pink Floyd’s The Division Bell is at 32 today, while Bon Jovi’s classic 1988 album New Jersey is back in at 35 today, and Monty Python’s Sings (Again) is at 37.

The Official Albums Chart Update Top 40 is as follows. The Official Albums Chart Top 100 will be posted in full, here, on Sunday at 7pm.

© 2014 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.