Tamworth Pushing Country Sales On Midweek Chart Figures

22 January 2014 | 11:00 am | Scott Fitzsimons

Bruce Springsteen top hope for #1, though

The Tamworth Country Music Festival is provoking movement on the ARIA Albums Chart this week, with midweek figures showing growth for some of this year's top performing artists.

The massive event, held in country New South Wales, has been attracting huge numbers in 2014, with an estimated 11,000 people attending the opening night party. With last week's sales figures expected to be some of the lowest of the year, it should allow for Tamworth's country crowds to make their presence felt.

McAlister Kemp released their third album Harder To Tame last week and the record will likely be the standout performer of the week. The duo's 'biggest' effort yet, they'll be hoping that the hype around the closing weekend will give the record a final push, given that the midweek figures are showing them sitting just inside the top 20 at this stage.

Another record moving this week is Troy Cassar-Daley and Adam Harvey's The Great Country Songbook, which was recently spurned on by the discussion surrounding the Golden Guitar Awards. The midweek figures show the record sitting just outside the top 20, but upcoming performances may see it chase the McAlister Kemp record up the charts.

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Another chart mover this week, who is not performing at Tamworth, is country star Keith Urban, whose latest album Fuse is climbing again.

There is speculation that other country acts may have surges towards the end of the week, but on-ground sales – particularly those directly through the artists at performances – are unlikely to count for this week's rankings.

Despite that, it's an international artist that is looking most likely to topple Beyoncé at the head of the chart – Bruce Springsteen's High Hopes has been tracking solidly since release and is in the frame for a #1 debut.

INXS's The Very Best will push into the top ten as the Channel 7 mini-series on the band draws closer.

Expect debuts from Warpaint's Warpaint, Switchfoot's Fading West and A Great Big Worlds' Is There Anybody Out There? In the second half of the top 50 as well. Dami Im's self-titled album is also scanning well.

In the ARIA Singles Chart the highest debut will be Impossible, the collaborative single between 360 and Daniel Johns. The midweek figures are also indicating debuts for Shakira featuring Rihanna's Can't Remember To Forget You and Nicky Romero vs. Krewella's Legacy.

There'll also be moves up for Tiesto's Red Lights, A Great Big World featuring Christina Aguilera's Say Something and Bliss N Eso featuring Ceekay Jones's My Life, if the midweek trends continue.