Arctic Monkeys seize top spot in British albums chart

Reuters
Members of the band Arctic Monkeys perform during the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium July, 27, 2012. REUTERS/Mike Blake

LONDON (Reuters) - British indie rock group Arctic Monkeys seized the top spot in the British albums chart on Sunday with "AM", their fifth consecutive studio album to debut at number 1, sales figures showed. The Official Charts Company said the group, from Sheffield, England, had sold more than 157,000 copies of their album in the first week, making it the second fastest selling album of the year. They were the first indie-released act to achieve a fifth debut number 1 in British chart history, it added. Last week's number 1, The 1975, the self-titled album by another English indie-rock band, was pushed to number 3, behind British alternative trio London Grammar, at number 2 with their new entry "If you wait". In the singles chart, U.S. singer Katy Perry held onto the top spot for a second week with "Roar", which has sold more than 280,000 copies. U.S. band OneRepublic took the second spot with "Counting Stars", their highest charting UK single to date. (Reporting by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)