Kneecap are currently leading the race for the Number One spot on the UK Albums Chart, although strong competition from Melanie C and Michael Jackson could still shake up the final results.
The Belfast trio released their latest album, ‘Fenian’, earlier this month, marking the follow up to their acclaimed 2024 debut ‘Fine Art’. The project features collaborations with Kae Tempest, Radie Peat and Fawzi, alongside standout tracks including the emotional ‘Irish Goodbye’, which explores themes of grief, depression and loss.
When announcing the record earlier this year, the group explained that the title was “inspired by, and proudly named [after] warriors in Irish folklore” before later becoming a derogatory term aimed at Irish people. “Now we’re using it to name everyone speaking truth to power,” they added.
The album is now sitting at Number One on the UK midweek charts, putting the group on course for what could become their first chart topping release.
Close behind them is Melanie C with her new solo album ‘Sweat’. The project marks the ninth studio release from the former Spice Girls member and is currently on track to become the biggest charting solo album of her career, surpassing the Number Four peak achieved by her 1999 debut ‘Northern Star’.
If ‘Sweat’ manages to climb to the top position by the end of the week, it would make Melanie C the first Spice Girl to secure a Number One album as a solo artist.
Meanwhile, Michael Jackson’s compilation ‘The Essential’ currently sits in third place on the midweek charts. Originally released 21 years ago, the collection has experienced renewed success following the release of the new ‘Michael’ biopic.
The compilation famously spent seven straight weeks at Number One after Jackson’s death in 2009 and could potentially return to the summit once again if sales continue rising throughout the week.
According to data from Official Charts, fewer than 3,000 units separate the albums in first and third place at the current midweek stage.
Elsewhere in this week’s chart race, Kacey Musgraves is expected to land another Top 10 album with ‘Middle Of Nowhere’, while Tori Amos appears set to chart with ‘In Times Of Dragons’. The soundtrack for Billie Eilish’s concert film ‘Hit Me Hard And Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)’ is also expected to enter the rankings.
Kneecap’s ‘Fenian’ recently earned a four and a half star review from NME, which praised the project as “solid, progressive and fearless”, highlighting the group’s willingness to create music with substance instead of simply leaning into controversy.
The release also arrived after legal charges against Mo Chara, whose real name is Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, were officially dismissed. The rapper had previously faced allegations connected to displaying a Hezbollah flag and allegedly shouting “Up Hamas, up Hezbollah,” during a London performance in 2024.
The group have repeatedly denied supporting either Hamas or Hezbollah and argued that footage from the show had been taken out of context. They also described the legal proceedings as a “carnival of distraction”. Chara later stated he did not know what the flag represented when he picked it up onstage, while the band encouraged supporters to attend each of the three court hearings in solidarity.
The charges were initially dismissed in September because of technical issues relating to how the case had been handled. An appeal from the Crown Prosecution Service in January was later rejected on March 11 after two High Court judges upheld the original ruling.
Speaking to NME in a recent In Conversation interview about whether the controversy shaped the new album, Chara said: “I didn’t see it as pressure. Obviously, we do thrive in the chaos, and sometimes it’s easier to deal with things when it’s so chaotic, and you’re onto the next thing.”
“We understood that there were a lot of eyes on this album. Second album syndrome is quite intense for a lot of bands,” he continued. “We knew if you were a Kneecap fan and had been watching what had been going on for the last year, you’d be very disappointed if there was no mention of it in the album. Of course there is, and we wouldn’t let you down.”
