Monkeys star hits chart hat-trick

Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner is celebrating his third number one album after the debut release from his new side project topped the chart.

The Last Shadow Puppets - Turner and Miles Kane - shot straight to the top with The Age Of The Understatement.

Turner and Kane have only played a handful of shows together, but are hoping to tour in October, they told BBC 6 Music last week.

Madonna remains at number one in the singles chart with 4 Minutes.

TOP FIVE ALBUMS

• 1) The Age of the Understatement - The Last Shadow Puppets
• 2) Konk - Kooks
• 3) Spirit - Leona Lewis
• 4) Rockferry - Duffy
• 5) E=MC2 - Mariah Carey

The only other new entry in the singles top 10 is Wiley's Wearing My Rolex, at number four.

In the album chart, heavy metal veterans Whitesnake have a new entry at number six with Good To Be Bad.

The Last Shadow Puppets' album was recorded in a break between commitments for the Arctic Monkeys and Kane's band The Rascals.

Heavily influenced by Scott Walker, Sheffield-based Turner told 6 Music that he was expecting to keep the project going.

"I think you can explore that more, there is nowt else that sounds like that really," the 22-year-old said.

TOP FIVE SINGLES

• 1) 4 Minutes - Madonna
• 2) Black & Gold - Sam Sparro
• 3) American Boy - Estelle
• 4) Wearing My Rolex - Wiley
• 5) Cry For You - September

The Age of the Understatement is this year's fifth debut album from a UK act to enter the chart at number one, after success by Amy McDonald, Adele, Duffy and Scouting For Girls.

"Eleven UK debut acts made it into last year's Top 40 best-selling albums," said Martin Talbot, managing director of The Official UK Charts Company, which collates sales figures

"British talent is well on the way to exceeding that figure in 2008."

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Official UK Charts Company
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