WIRRAL band The Coral were last night celebrating the news that their second album has gone straight to number one in the album charts.

The new album, titled 'Magic & Medicine', is already tipped as a potential candidate for album of the year.

The first single to be released from the album, 'Pass it on', also went straight into the Top 10.

The Hoylake band - James Skelly (guitar/vocals), Ian Skelly (drums), Lee Southall (guitar/vocals), Paul Duffy (bass/sax), Nick Power (organ/vocals) and Bill Ryder-Jones (guitar/trumpet) - are currently in Spain where they are due to play the Benicassim Festival this weekend.

The group will be joined by Blur, The Flaming Lips, Death In Vegas, Badly Drawn Boy, Electric Six, Groove Armada, Moby and Placebo at the festival, which takes place south of Barcelona on the Spanish coast.