Harry Styles has grabbed the coveted top spot of the lists of both the UK’s best-selling singles and albums in 2022.
And it was in what was a record-breaking year for British music too.
According to the data shared by the Official Charts Company this week, for the first time since year-end chart data began being released over 50 years ago now, the year’s most popular songs were all by British artists – with Cheshire‘s finest Styles claiming the top slot of the top 40 list with his undeniable smash-hit ‘As It Was’.
The lead single from Styles’ third solo album, Harry’s House, sold an impressive 1.57 million chart units since its release in April 2022 to the end of the year, which was probably helped by the fact that it was also the longest-running Number 1 of 2022, managing an 10 weeks at the top of the charts.
‘As It Was’ also leads the pack as the most-streamed song of the year, with over 180.9 million audio and video streams.
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It was also best-selling across combined physical and digital sales with 65,000.
Not only that either, as Harry’s House – which was released in May 2022 – also ran away with the top spot on the best-selling albums list too.
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Elsewhere on the official top 10 biggest songs of 2022 list, Ed Sheeran’s ‘Bad Habits’ is immediately behind Styles in second, Fireboy DML’s Sheeran collaboration ‘Peru’ coming in third, London newcomer Cat Burns’ smash-hit single ‘Go’ in fourth, and Sheeran again rounds-out the top five with his other huge hit ‘Shivers’.
It’s not all brand-new songs released in 2022 taking top 10 spots though, as Glass Animals’ sleeper hit ‘Heatwaves’ originally released back in 2020 takes the seventh spot, but just one place before that in sixth is ‘Running Up That Hill’ by Kate Bush, which enjoyed a resurgence of success in the summer and shot to number 1 for the first time ever thanks to its use in an iconic scene on Netflix’s Stranger Things.
Adele, LF System, Sam Fender, Calum Scott, Dave, Elton John, George Ezra, Lewis Capaldi, and Eliza Rose and Interplanetary Criminal are just a handful of the other names appearing on the top 40 list.
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Official Top 10 biggest songs of 2022
‘As It Was’ by Harry Styles
‘Bad Habits’ by Ed Sheeran
‘Peru’ by Fireboy DML and Ed Sheeran
‘Go’ by Cat Burns
‘Shivers’ by Ed Sheeran
‘Running Up That Hill’ by Kate Bush
‘Heatwaves’ by Glass Animals
‘Where Are You Now’ by Lost Frequencies ft. Calum Scott
‘Afraid To Feel’ by LF System
‘Seventeen Going Under’ by Sam Fender
Harry Styles claims top-selling single and album of 2022 / Credit: Harry Styles
‘As It Was’ may have been Styles’ biggest song of 2022, enjoying success atop countless charts globally for a significant period of time, but the singer also had another one of his smash-hit singles make it onto the top 40 list.
The follow-up single ‘Late Night Talking’ found itself in the 32nd spot.
The Pogues announce Manchester gig on first tour since death of frontman Shane MacGowan
Danny Jones
The Pogues have announced their first UK tour since the death of former frontman, Shane MacGowan, with Manchester one of just half a dozen cities chosen.
Nearly a full year on from his death at just 65, the Anglo-Irish favourites best known for their eternal Christmas classic, ‘Fairytale of New York’, are gearing up for their first outing since their iconic lead singer’s passing as a celebration of his life and their seminal second album.
It’s been 13 years since their last headline tour shortly before their split and it will be 40 years since the release of Rum Sodomy and the Lash by the time they hit the road along with special guests.
Safe to say it’ll be an emotional series of shows for everyone involved.
The Pogues return in 2025 for their first UK Tour since 2012 to celebrate 40 years of Rum Sodomy & the Lash Ft James Fearnley, Jem Finer, Spider Stacy & special guests. Tickets go on sale 9:30am Fri 22 Nov. Sign up at https://t.co/PxhZ8bnwBA by 5pm on 19 Nov for presale access ⚓️ pic.twitter.com/hFACjdf7yc
Revealing just six shows here in the UK, the long-standing band are set to play their sophomore release in full as well as a selection of their greatest hits.
The tour will feature remaining original members James Fearnley, Jem Finer, and Peter Richard ‘Spider’ Stacy, as well as a series of support that are yet to be confirmed.
Speaking on the upcoming dates, The Pogues said: “After the uproarious bash which was the 40th anniversary of our first record, Red Roses for Me, in 2024, we wanted to do it again, but with Rum Sodomy & the Lash.”
The music veterans are remaining tight-lipped about who they’re bringing along but they have promised their selections have been “thoughtfully chosen”.
With MacGowan, lead guitarist Philip Chevron (2013), bassist Darryl Hunt (2022) and long-time collaborator Kirsty MacColl (2000) now having passed away, the band will be roping in plenty of help on vocals and instrumentation.
Even though the gigs themselves will be coming at the of next spring, you can rest assured you’ll get to hear your beloved festive ballad.
Kicking off the tour in Leeds, The Pogues will play their first Manchester show in over a decade – and without Shane MacGowan front and centre – at the O2 Apollo on Wednesday, 7 May 2025.
Featured Images — Press Images (supplied)/Mordac (via Flickr)
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Khruangbin at the O2 Apollo Manchester – a masterclass on how to be really, really cool
Clementine Hall
Khruangbin, meaning ‘airplane’ in Thai, is a rather fitting name for a group who take their fans on a voyage across genres and styles through their funky, melodic tones.
Their second night in Manchester was no exception, as the first snow of the season began to fall outside the audience was psychedelically transported to sun-soaked places with Khruangbin’s celestial and enchanting melodies.
The set was laid back and minimal, featuring three arched windows and a white staircase that the band members travelled up and down smoothly throughout.
It’s fair to say that bassist, Laura Lee Ochoa, might just be one of the coolest people we’ve ever laid our eyes on.
Khruangbin in Manchester. (Credit: The Manc Group)
Sporting sequin black trousers that twinkled under the stage lights and a matching sequin headband, we’ve already started planning our Christmas party looks accordingly.
Accompanied by guitarist Mark Speer, both were of course wearing their iconic chunky black fringed wigs that shimmied side to side with every key change and with every understated, choreographed movement.
The first half of the evening was dedicated to their latest album, A La Sala. It’s a chilled album that features Ochoa’s soft vocals drifting over soothing drum work and ambient guitar.
With every track, the colour scheme of the windows behind them changed and Ochoa pinpointed each bass line with a point of the toe, a dip in her step, a quick turn of the head. The entire audience were left completely mesmerised, united in a syncopated head bop from the start.
Khruangbin’s psychedelic tones left us in a magical trance, and so the second half which featured more funky tracks from the trio was very much welcomed.
Playing fan favourites such as ‘White Gloves and People Everywhere (Still Alive)’, the audience couldn’t help but throw a few shapes and so did Ochoa and Speer.
Their choreography was so carefully considered and in synch, even their sips of water were in perfect harmony.
Encore songs ‘Evan Finds the Third Room’ and ‘Maria Tambien’ showed off quintessential guitar-driven Khruangbin melodies, providing the perfect end to their final night in Manchester.
Seeing Khruangbin live is a very unique experience, let alone in a venue like the O2 Apollo; I entered with an amateur knowledge of their songs and left eager to deep-dive into their vast catalogue.
Emily Sergeant -
4th January 2023 
