Band's new album with 'nods' to Portsmouth reaches top 10

A band's new album that features "nods" to the guitarist and singer's hometown, Portsmouth, has reached the top 10 in the Official Charts in several categories.

The Howlers reached number two in the album downloads chart, number three in the independent album breakers chart and number 10 in the independent album chart with their new album 'Heavy'.

It comes after the band's debut album 'What You've Got to Lose to Win It All' reached number 10 in the record store chart.

Guitarist and singer Adam Young said: "In one of the busiest release weeks of the year going up against some huge artists I'm so proud of how hard our whole team worked to hold our own."

He added: "It's been incredible over the past week to see how much this album already means to people.

The band spent the summer touring Germany supporting Deep Purple.

Young told BBC Introducing that this was "one of those experiences you wish you could do forever, bucket list stuff".

Young, from Portsmouth, said the band's new album features "lots of little things" on the record "linked to where I'm from", including the centre stickers on the records and the CD.

One of the songs, Cold Sweat, is a "rock/hip-hop track", said Young.

"There's little nods to where I'm from and where we were recording it and stuff like that.

"It was a really cool track to kind of write and hear the end product as well, so different for us.

"There's lots of little things on this record that are kind of linked to where I'm from and where I grew up, even the centre stickers on the records and the CD is meant to look like dazzle paint on navy ships from 50-60 years ago so there's still like a landing craft in Portsmouth which has it on.

"I kind of got the idea for like the blue and the white from that."

He added: "This record is meant to represent a step up from the previous and it's meant to be more authentic... it's a totally different experience doing this to the first one."

Indie band celebrates Top 40 breakthrough