Perhaps another slow week for pop culture, but with it has spawned some new exciting news which is certain to appease especially football fans this early Monday morning.
England advances to the Round of 16
After an intense game against the Democratic Republic of Congo Wednesday evening, England have secured their position in the next round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted by the USA and taking place across North America. Despite an early first goal from the DRC, England brought the score back to win an astounding 2-1, where they will be taking on Mexico this Sunday/Monday morning at 1:00am.
In celebration of this, Keir Starmer has announced that pubs across the UK will have the opportunity to extend their alcohol licenses beyond their current thresholds, allowing for them to stay open until 5am to enjoy the game.
According to the government website, the bid for this extension is hopefully to "boost pubs, bars and football fans across the country", so it is without a doubt that this is an exciting and very welcome surprise to celebrate England's continued triumph in this year's World Cup.
Video courtesy of ITV Sport and ITV on Youtube
Madonna releases Confessions II
After a seven year wait, today finally marks Madonna's return with her fifteenth studio album Confessions II, and it has already been received greatly amongst critics.
The album's three singles: 'I Feel So Free', 'Bring Your Love (with Sabrina Carpenter)', and 'Love Sensation' kicked off the era, and fans have been avid in the comparison of the sound of this album to Madonna's hit 2005 album Confessions on a Dancefloor, which spawned the iconic hits 'Hung Up' and 'Sorry'. With this album, it is blatant that Madonna has embraced the influences from her perhaps most iconic album, channelling that into something new and refreshing but still nostalgic, utilising disco to re-cement herself in the industry.
Pitchfork have expressed their critical acclaim, marking it as her "best in 20 years", awarding it an outstanding 8.1 score. The album's coinciding single 'Danceteria' is also a track to watch, with it being a perfect upbeat boost as a club anthem, and just casually on the radio.
For now, the album race for number one next week will hang between Madonna and Sienna Spiro's new album Visitor, so keep an eye out on the charts to see who will dominate as they both have great chances, especially with Spiro's new found virality with her track 'Die On This Hill'.
Post courtesy of @madonna on Instagram
Wimbledon kicks off to an exciting start
This Monday saw the start of this year's Wimbledon Tennis tournament, lasting until the 12th July.
What has been most exciting about this year's tournament is the return of Serena Williams as a Wild Card, coming out of retirement to play tennis in a professional environment, with the reason being that she wanted her children to see her play professionally.
Williams may not have won the centre court match against 20-year old Australian Maya Joint, but it was a remarkable return for the 44-year old who won 23 Grand Slam titles before her retirement at age 40.
It is without a doubt that this was such a major event for tennis fans, and just fans generally of pop culture, as Serena Williams is such an iconic figure both within the tennis world, and outside of it.
Video courtesy of Wimbledon on Youtube
In other pop culture news...
- Tonight it is rumoured that Taylor Swift will get married to Travis Kelce inside New York's Madison Square Garden - see my blog from last week for more information!
- Love Island saw the beginning and end of its 'Casa Amor' section, with more drama arising in the villa this week
- Hayley Williams concluded her first ever solo tour in support of her newest album Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party in Ireland
Yet again another week lacking in masses of pop culture updates, but at least England are still going strong in the World Cup nonetheless!
Album cover image courtesy of Madonna / Warner Records
Comments
Add a comment