Bruce Springsteen certainly had 'High Hopes' for his eighteenth studio album, claiming on his website that it contains "the best of my writing". Springsteen will undoubtedly be delighted to find that his latest work has delivered him a tenth UK number one - propelling himself ahead of ABBA and Queen, and on par with U2 and Rolling Stones - as reported by The Official Charts Company. 

Bruce SpringsteenBruce Springsteen Has Scored A UK No.1

High Hopes - officially penned in for a January 14th 2014 release - was accidentally leaked by retail giants Amazon late December. Though the error was sorted swiftly, the album had become available for download through various file sharing websites according to, Billboard.

Springsteen begins touring his new album in Cape Town South Africa (26th January) before returning to his native US with a May 3rd show in New Orleans. It will be the first time he has hit the road since playing at the 'Stand Up For The Heroes' benefit concert in New York (6th November 2013).

After playing the Cape Town gig, Springsteen will be making his full live show available to download, after fans purchase a special USB wristband, Rolling Stone reports, in a bid to "make things more available through the internet". On his Twitter, the New Jersey rocker explained that "they [the fans] will be able to pick one show of their choice to download on their USB wristband"; further explaining the decision in an interview with the NPR, he added "the internet has become our friend... Everything you do is recorded now".

Watch a feature on Bruce Springsteen's new album High Hopes: