Westlife make history with fifth number one

It is certain to be a Trivial Pursuit question in years to come. Which band saw their first five singles enter the British charts at number one?

It is certain to be a Trivial Pursuit question in years to come. Which band saw their first five singles enter the British charts at number one?

The answer is the Irish boy band Westlife. Best to remember that now, as pop careers grow ever shorter and they might not be around when future editions of the quiz game are compiled.

Westlife made pop history yesterday when "Fool Again" hit the top of the charts, giving the quintet an entry in The Guinness Book of Records.

The Spice Girls made number one with their first five singles, but they did not all enter the charts at the top.

Kian Egan, a Westlife member, said: "This is one of the greatest moments - like a dream come true. Who would have ever imagined two years ago we would be making chart history? We'd like to thank everyone who has supported us."

After a four-week tour in New York, Westlife will perform concerts across Asia and in another six-week stint in the US.

The number one single changes almost weekly at the moment. For those who bite nails over such things, this week's battle for the top slot was particularly tense.

Westlife, co-managed by the lead singer of Boyzone Ronan Keating, lost their midweek lead over the current number one Mel C by Friday - but Saturday sales figures tipped the balance and the band came out on top by about 1,400 singles.

Westlife's track was the fifth single on their album, so many fans already had a copy and the band struggled to keep sales up through the week. A spokeswoman for the band said: "We were getting rather nervous towards the end of the week, but thankfully a lot of Westlife's buyers tend to shop on a Saturday."

So there it is. For that number one record all you need are a catchy tune, good lyrics and fans who shop on a Saturday.