U.K. MIDWEEKS: BALL & BOE BATTLE BTS FOR #1

Michael Ball and Alfie Boe are battling BTS to claim this week’s U.K. Official Albums #1. Over on singles, the latter could end Ariana Grande’s four-week reign at the top.

Ball and Boe’s Together at Christmas (Decca) is #1 at the halfway point, leading by 7,000 in sales. At #2, BTS’ BE (Big Hit) is the most-downloaded and most-streamed new release of the week.

Following its arrival on vinyl last week, Taylor Swift’s Folklore (EMI) rebounds to #3, from #36. Iron Maiden's live album Nights of the Dead—Legacy of the Beast (Parlophone) rounds out the midweek Top 5, at #5.

Neil Diamond and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s Classic Diamonds (UMG) starts at #6, reissued Pink Floyd live album Delicate Sound of Thunder (Parlophone) enters at #7 and another live album, from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Idiot Prayer: Nick Cave Alone (AWAL), is at #8.

On the U.K.’s Official Singles midweek chart, BTS’ “Life Goes On” is just 600 in sales away from Grande’s chart-topper “positions” (Island). Miley Cyrus is heading for her seventh U.K. Top 10 single, with “Prisoner” f/Dua Lipa (RCA) new at #6, while Shawn Mendes and Justin Bieber’s collaboration, “Monster” (EMI), starts at #10.