NEWS
Football anthem ‘Three Lions’ is being tipped to reach Number One in the UK Charts as England have reached the Euro 2024 final.
Betting company William Hill have said they expect three songs to vie for the top spot this July: David Baddiel, Frank Skinner and The Lightning Seeds‘ ‘Three Lions’, Neil Diamond classic ‘Sweet Caroline’ and Fat Les’ ‘Vindaloo’.
The news follows England’s glorious victory last night (July 10), which saw Ollie Watkins score a last-minute goal to push the Three Lions into the final against Spain on Sunday (July 14).
Now, William Hill have said those three songs are collectively estimated with 3/1 odds to top the charts, adding: “Three Lions has been a UK No.1 single in three separate years, spanning across three decades, so you cannot write off another return to the top for The Lightning Seeds.
“England are in a final of a major tournament on foreign soil for the first time in history and the tunes will be blaring out this weekend,” they continued. “A win for Gareth Southgate’s men would surely spark a rush of sales and streams for some of England’s classic hits, so we go 3/1 for any of Three Lions, Vindaloo or even Sweet Caroline hitting top spot, while it’s odds-on at 10/11 one of those will enter the Top 10 this month.”
‘Three Lions’, which was originally released in 1996, previously broke records when it shot to Number One during the World Cup in 2018.
It was the first time in the Official Chart’s 66-year history that a song scored four spells at the top of the charts with the same artist line-up: the original 1996 version had two one-week stints in 1996, while the 1998 re-work had one three-week spell at the top.
The trio have since gone on to release a new version in 2022, when they unveiled a special festive edition of the song.
However, David Baddiel suggested the song could be “put to bed” after the England Women’s team’s Euro 2022 victory, telling BBC Radio 4’s Today programme (via The Guardian): “The women have reset the clock.”
The lyric “30 years of hurt” in the chorus was a reflection on the fact that England hadn’t won a trophy since triumphing against West Germany in the 1966 FIFA World Cup when it was first released in 1996.
In other news, The Killers paused their London show for the last five minutes of the Euros semifinals, celebrating England’s win with a performance of ‘Mr Brightside’ straight after.
NEWS
Jacob Alon recently opened up to NME about collaborating with longtime inspiration Kae Tempest, while also sharing why they continue to admire artists who speak openly on political and social issues.
The Scottish singer songwriter spoke with NME backstage at the Ivor Novellos last Thursday, May 21, where they picked up both the Rising Star award and Best Song Musically and Lyrically for ‘Don’t Fall Asleep’.
The recognition follows a huge year for Alon, who also earned the Critics’ Choice Award at the 2026 BRITs and became the first Scottish artist to win BBC Music Introducing’s Artist of the Year title.
The success arrives alongside the release of their highly praised debut album ‘In Limerance’, which came out last year and led to a support slot on Kae Tempest’s recent ‘Self-Titled’ tour. During those shows, the pair performed a moving rendition of George Michael’s ‘Freedom’ together. Speaking backstage at the Ivors, Alon also confirmed that they have recently been in the studio with Tempest working on new music.
“Kae is one of my absolute heroes,” they said. “We’ve been in the studio this week actually, writing together. I’ve never felt closer to another creative mind before.”
Although Alon avoided revealing too much about the collaboration, they described the experience as “the biggest privilege to witness his genius and to be in the presence of something raw and beautiful”.
They went on to say they are “really excited for the world to witness” the music they have been creating together.
The ‘Of Amber’ artist also spoke with NME about the importance of using their platform to stand up for causes they care deeply about. In recent months, Alon held a Palestinian flag during the BRITs and appeared at the Trans Mission event in London, where they defended those being “scapegoated by people who want to distract everyone from the real problems in society”.
“I’m endlessly inspired by those that use their voices and their platforms to speak out about what matters. I’m trying to do that myself,” Alon explained to NME. “It’s not easy to know what the right thing to say is sometimes, but I think the effort made to do that is always worthwhile.”
The remarks echo comments Alon previously shared with NME at the BRITs earlier this year, where they said they believe “music is important and can make a difference”, while also teasing a brighter direction for future releases compared to their emotional and introspective debut album.
“Going into making something new, it’s already different. It’s a different place to create from because now I know what’s out there,” they shared, joking that the next era may lean into punk influences and that all the praise might finally go to their head.
Later this summer, Alon is set to join the packed line up for Lewis Capaldi’s headline performances at BST Hyde Park. The concerts take place on Saturday July 11 and Sunday July 12, with Conan Gray, The Vaccines, Absolutely, Nieve Ella and more also appearing across the weekend. Find any remaining tickets here.
At the 2026 Ivor Novellos, other major winners included CMAT for Best Album, Fraser T Smith and Kae Tempest for Best Contemporary Song, and Sam Fender taking home Songwriter Of The Year.
Rosalía was named International Songwriter Of The Year, while Radiohead’s Thom Yorke received the Academy Fellowship award presented by Harry Styles. George Michael was also honored posthumously with the Academy Fellowship award.
