While there's still another shopping day to go until the chart's announced, retail sources suggest that David Kitt's Square One album is certain to debut at number one this week in Ireland.

If, as looks likely, The Thrills cling on to the number two spot, it'll represent a double-whammy for BMG Publishing Belfast who fended off stiff cross-channel competition to sign both acts.

"It's another example of the Irish music industry standing on its own two feet and making things happen itself," enthuses BMG Belfast's Johnny Davis.

Although beating all-comers here, the UK release of Square One has been put back to January because of a publishing clearance problem.

"One of the tracks on the album, 'Me & My Love', draws lyrically and melodically from an old Gamble & Huff song," Davis explains. "To cut a long story short, there's a dispute between EMI Publishing and Warner Chapell as to who owns the copyright. There's no question that it will get sorted, but in the meantime the UK thinks it's too close to Christmas to be releasing an album by an unknown artist, which David pretty much is there. So, they're going to put vinyl copies into the shops on October 16, but wait until January for the CD release."