Serenade is Powering Noel Gallagher’s High-Flying Album on U.K. Chart

The heavyweight contest currently playing out for the U.K. albums chart crown, one that pits the best of the U.S. against the might of English rock, has a strong Australian connection.

Serenade, the Australia-founded collectible record store, is behind a limited-edition digital pressing of Council Skies (via Sour Mash), the fourth and latest album from Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds.

Fans in the U.K. who purchase the Manchester legend’s LP from 10am GMT (7pm AEST) today (June 8) will receive a chart-eligible digital exclusive, featuring never-seen-before footage shot during the creation of Council Skies. 

Owners of the Council Skies digital pressing can unlock high-quality WAVs of the record, two video diaries documenting the recording of the record, and digitally-signed cover art, in an exclusive-coloured version. 

Max Shand

It might just be the knockout blow that clinches Gallagher the title, and keeps his immaculate streak going.

Based on midweek sales and streaming data published by the Official Charts Company, Noel and Co. had a lead of just 200 combined units on Foo Fighters’ latest LP, But Here We Are.

The charts compiler is calling it one of the tightest races in recent memory.

Gallagher wants the crown. He's riding an unbroken run of 10 consecutive No. 1 studio albums, across his career with Oasis (seven) and with High Flying Birds (three), an all-time record. Every one of those LPs has debuted at No. 1.

Masterminded by whizz kid Max Shand, Serenade rolled out in the U.K. in 2021 and regeared as a specialist in eco-friendly NFTs, with a raft of products from new and unreleased performances, to music, documentary footage, rare visuals and more.

Today, it’s touted as the first tradable marketplace for digital music, its business model bringing record collecting into the digital era.

The Council Skies project is “the most significant” Serenade release since the tech company partnered with Warner Records and Muse in late 2022 on the first chart accredited web3 product.

Earlier last year, in February 2022, Serenade partnered with the Brit Awards for the annual event’s first-ever NFT collection, with money raised going to good causes.

The “Adele X Artist Of The Year Award” NFT is said to have sold-out within 30 minutes of going live.

Council Skies is the 15th chart accredited album to be released through Serenade, with “plenty more in the pipeline,” according to a statement.

The Official U.K. Albums Chart will be published late Friday (June 9).