THE LOTTERY Winners could soon bring the first Number One album to Leigh after it was announced they were on the top spot in the midweek charts.
Working in the band for the best part of 15 years, the Lottery Winners have gradually built a huge community of loyal fans as well as a respected reputation from those within the music industry.
After notching two Top 40 albums with their previous releases, the Leigh four-piece is on course for their first Number One following the release of 'Anxiety Replacement Therapy' on Friday, April 28.
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Facing tough competition from Jessie Ware, the National, and Nines, it was announced by the Official Charts Company that the local band is currently standing at Number One as of Tuesday, May 2.
With multiple editions of the album, the Lottery Winners have pulled out all the stops with 'Anxiety Replacement Therapy', which includes collaborations with industry stars such as Boy George, Shaun Ryder, and Frank Turner.
Staying true to their Leigh roots, the band launched a temporary pop-up shop at Spinning Gate shopping centre over the past week, which has been stocked full of the band's latest album, previous releases, and other memorabilia.
The band hosted a special instore party in the store on Monday, May 1, which included prize giveaways and live performances from The Lottery Winners as well as other acts such as Cobain Jones, Jamie Wooding, Megan Wyn, and Zha Olu.
They also played at Leigh Sports Village before the derby game against Wigan in March, while lead singer Thom Rylance posted a poem he wrote for 'Little Old Leigh' in the lead-up to the album's release.
After touring around the UK in a huge tour bus, the four-piece also played two special shows at St George Parish Church in Tyldesley on Sunday, April 30.
They then have Glastonbury performances, festival slots, and the "biggest headline gig of their lives" at Manchester Apollo to look forward to.
Following the excitement of the midweek charts position, the Lottery Winners said: "This is seriously massive. This is the underdog story of the year. This is a huge upset to the major pop labels and the major pop stars. We’re rocking the boat. Four working class idiots from Leigh!
"This is by no means the final result though. There’s a lot more work to go. The others are all streaming massively through big ad spends that we just can’t compete with."
"A paid digital download on iTunes or Amazon music is worth 1000 of their streams, and we have two versions to get. The main album and the acoustic version at a fiver each. They both count. There’s also the Amazon download which counts too."
To buy a physical copy of the album, you can visit the Lottery Winners website here.
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