U.K. MIDWEEKS: A TWO-WAY BATTLE

Justin Bieber is battling Tame Impala for the U.K.’s Official Albums #1 this week with just 900 sales separating the two at the halfway point. Over on singles, Billie Eilish is heading for her first #1.

Tame Impala currently has the lead on albums with The Slow Rush (Fiction), closely followed by Bieber who is ahead on streaming with Changes (Virgin EMI). British pop trio New Hope Club are also new at #4 with their self-titled debut (Virgin EMI), followed by A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie’s Artist 2.0 (Atlantic) at #8.

David Gray’s classic chart topper, White Ladder (AWAL), is on track for a chart return at #10 following its 20th anniversary reissue. Northern Irish alt-rock band Ash are close behind at #13 with greatest hits record, Teenage Wildlife (BMG).

On the U.K.’s Official Singles midweeks, Eilish’s James Bond theme “No Time To Die” (Polydor) is on course to claim the top spot. Should the track maintain its momentum, which will be boosted by a BRITs performance Tuesday, Eilish will become the second act in history to reach the top of the chart in Blighty with a Bond theme. Sam Smith was the first with “Writing on the Wall” (Capitol) in 2015. Incidentally, it’s Smith who claims the second highest new entry today with “To Die For” starting at #20.

Further down, Bieber’s “Yummy” rises three places to #10, while Eilish’s “Bad Guy” rebounds five places to #14. With “Everything I Wanted” a non-mover at #9, Eilish is on track to scoop a trio of entries in Friday’s Official Chart Top 20.