Mumford & Sons score double Number 1 in album charts - and break US sales record

The high life: Ben Lovett, Marcus Mumford, Winston Marshall, and Ted Dwane of Mumford and Sons on stage during this year’s Grammy awards Awards in Los Angeles (Getty Images)

They were at Number 1 in the UK album charts last week, but today folksters Mumford & Sons are celebrating success Stateside after scoring another Number 1 in the US and breaking sales records for 2012.

Babel shifted 600,000 copies in its first week across the pond, making it the fastest-selling record in America this year.

They have overtaken Justin Bieber, whose latest album Believe, sold around 374,000 in its first week.

The Nielsen Sounscan results reveal that Babel is also Britain's fastest-selling album of the year, having sold 159,000 copies.

Mumford & Sons has seen their fortunes flourish in America over the last year. Their 2009 debut album Sigh No More went gone four-times platinum and they became the first British band since Coldplay to sell a million copies of one album in both the UK and the US.

"We're equally as overjoyed as the UK. We're quite surprised," Marcus Mumford told the BBC. "It's quite daunting. We're happy with the record which we've made."

"We've toured [in America] a lot. I think live shows really connect with people, the way you can't on record."

The band will now play a second night at London’s O2 Arena in December.   

Their ‘Tour of 2 Halves’ tour sold out last Friday morning, but the band has now added a second London date for the 18 December.   

Tickets go on general sale from 10am on Monday 8 October, priced at £29.50/£32.50.