WME Flickr Focus: January 2014

Greetings photo pickers and welcome to the WME chart rundown where we see what new entries and climbers have come our way courtesy of January's spin on the turntable...

Straight in at the bottom of the listing is WME Worcestershire, opening its hit account for 2014 with a Barnt Green double a-side (the Barnt Green Inn and the local cricket club) plus a bus stop single from Areley Kings. WME Staffordshire meanwhile has been on a diet of b-sides from Boney Hay (the 394 bus then the Foresters pub) and Brereton (the limited architectural appeal of the Castle).

B-sides are very much to the fore on WME Walsall too, where the fabulous flips comprise Bridle Lane at Barr Beacon and the Anchor Inn at Brownhills - there are also tracks of the railway variety with a platform view from Bloxwich Station. Elsewhere, January's highest climber is regular chart visitor WME Birmingham which notches a mere seven new entries including the likes of Camp Hill Locks, the Boldmere Oak and the Blake Barn.

Perched just outside the top 20 is WME Solihull with a rare chart appearance in the form of the 166 bus at Solihull Station - it might only be a solitary addition but it merits a fair bit of airplay. Exploration Extra is doing its best to land a new record deal by showcasing a repertoire that now includes Skegness Library, Crewe Bus Station and Weymouth Harbour, an eclectic album if ever there was one.

We're well into the top ten now and the headline news here is that we actually have a couple of genuine WME Dudley re-entries. The 267B route at Stourbridge first made the charts back in the Fotopic days but it goes to show that old favourites can still return to the fold occasionally. A novelty act can always score highly at this time of year but its a real chart heavyweight that is the undisputed Top of the Pops this time around - yes, WME Wolverhampton has stormed to #1 with a medley of canals (an Autherley Junction milepost), buses (the old 513 route at Warstones), parks (Bantock's wonderful ornamental garden) and pubs (the Bruford Arms and the Springhill). The 2014 photo charts are already making their mark, and with February primed ready to contribute further new releases it might be worth listening out for whatever else might soon be coming your way...