Frenzied race for Christmas singles top spot

It's halfway through the week and Matt’s retitled version of Biffy Clyro’s ‘When We Collide' has already had 112,000 downloads, with the physical CD hitting HMV and other stores today.

But he probably shouldn’t order the champagne just yet... After the triumph of the Rage Against the Machine campaign last year, a similar campaign this year aims to get The Trashmen to the top with 'Bird is the Word’, their efforts boosted by an appearance on Family Guy. It’s currently in third place in the UK midweek ratings.

Biffy Clyro and their original version of 'Many of Horror' is currently 9th with 15,000 downloads already and rising steadily. Another contender shaping up nicely is Ellie Goulding’s version of Elton John’s ‘Your Song’ which is boosted by its use in a high-profile TV campaign. And there’s Coldplay’s 'Christmas Lights' and Gamu Nhengu 'Where Will You Sleep This Christmas?' hovering about too.

But don’t rule out a late run from the Cage Against the Machine camp, which “features” a galaxy of stars such as Pete Doherty, The Kooks, Billy Bragg, Imogen Heap and Orbital on a cheeky “remake” of John Cage's famous silent composition ‘4'33’. So, don’t give up yet a silent Christmas!

But how does an insider like Gennaro Castaldo from HMV call it? As he told hotpress.com “People may understandably draw comparisons with Rage Against The Machine's success last year, but, more likely, I think we could actually see a Hallelujah-style re-run of the 2008 race for the Christmas No.1, which saw Alexandra Burke's X Factor version of the Leonard Cohen classic winning out over the original and Jeff Buckley's highly acclaimed cover. I expect Matt, who will be promoting the single at HMV on Thursday, to do the same this time around."

Albums-wise, Castaldo sees it as tight run between Take That, Rihanna and Michael Jackson, with Jackson sales likely to level off over the course of the week, leaving it for Take That to prevail in the album stakes.