That's all for today's Music News LIVE.

We're off to meet Post Malone and Metallica (above) for a festive glass of egg nog.

Scroll down for more on Post and his line of soft shoes, plus Nick Cave's open letter to Brian Eno, Neil Young on his British Summer Time sponsor-gate and Bill Ryder-Jones on why he's no saint.

Also new music from Zayn, Flight of the Concordes and a tease from Ariana Grande.

See you tomorrow.

Image source, John Phillips/ Getty Images

Finally today, Aled Jones and Russell Watson have been spreading a bit of pre-Christmas cheer today at east London church St Anne’s, to raise awareness for its £3m restoration project.

The classical duo, whose new album, In Harmony, features Christmas hymns and arias, tried their hand at a bit of bell ringing (as you can see above).

Hard to tell from here but we're sure they're hitting all the right notes.

The Manc guitar god is back for his annual chat with his old pal, 6 Music DJ Steve Lamacq, to talk about all things 2018 and you can listen in from 17.00 GMT.

If you've ever listened to a Noel interview, you'll know there's bound to be some nuggets of awesomeness going on in here.

We wonder what he's giving Liam for Christmas? A wide berth?

Have a Christmas hit and you're set for life...

Just like Hugh Grant's character in About a Boy, right?

Well that's how the old saying goes but exactly how much money such a song brings in is very hard to define. Not least because the organisation that knows - the Performing Right Society (PRS) - protect their clients' privacy and don't reveal the figures.

That doesn't prevent amateur number-crunchers from having a guess, nor journalists asking the artists whether their hit song has effectively given them a pension...

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The Sober singer, who spent time in hospital this summer following a suspected overdose, is one of the top three most searched names of the year on the popular online search engine.

Demi was pipped only by Meghan Markle, who married Prince Harry this year and former Emmerdale actress Roxanne Pallett, who courted controversy on Celebrity Big Brother.

Let's hope we're searching Demi's name in 2019 for new music.

The last we saw/heard of the US singer in action was shortly before her health issues, when she featured on Christina Aguilera's feminist track, Fall In Line.

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BBC 6 Music

From the guitar riffs that inspired one of our MNL personal faves St. Vincent, to the amazing story behind one of Pulp's iconic albums covers.

Here are some of the best things that have been revealed this year.

And if you are a fan of all things 2018, tomorrow from 10.00-22.00 GMT, the station will be playing its favourite tracks of the year on 6 Music Recommends Day.

BBC Radio 3

In September, BBC Radio 3 challenged amateur composers around the UK to create new music for a poem by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy.

Now the station has whittled down hundreds of entries to just six.

Above is Joy Williams take and you can listen to all six original carols before voting for your favourite.

The winning carol will be announced on Radio 3 Breakfast on Friday 21 December.

Image source, Getty Images

We're not convinced that it's a cover of the John and Yoko classic., external

Ariana tweeted: "'Imagine' thursday night," after having initially posted the title with Chinese characters alongside a love heart.

Who knew she spoke Mandarin? Incidentally - it's pronounced 'Xiǎngxiàng' but we're sure Ariana could have told you that herself.

The star-studded retro video for her last single, Thank U, Next, broke the YouTube record for the most views of a video inside the first 24 hours. In under 22 hours, it notched up 46 million views, pushing it past K-pop supergroup BTS' previous record for Idol.

At the time of writing this post, it's at more than 161m.

She also broke official streaming records with the track.

No pressure with the follow-up then Ari... gulp.

Image source, Getty Images

The daughter of singer Dean Martin has defended the Christmas track after it was was banned on several radio stations in the US.

Stations in Ohio, Wisconsin, California and Colorado have all taken the Oscar-winning Christmas classic off their playlists, deeming the duet's lyrics - in which one of the singers tries to persuade the other to spend the night - offensive.

Deano recorded a cover of the song himself on his 1959 album, A Winter Romance.

The singer and actor died in 1995.

• Should we stop listening to these Christmas songs?

Speaking to Fox news in the US, Deana Martin said she was "flabbergasted" by the controversy.

"It's a sweet, flirty, fun holiday song," she added, "I know my dad would be going insane right now."

Read more, external

Image source, Getty Images

We don't know what this means for his anticipated album with fellow Chicago rapper Kanye, but Chance has announced he is taking a break to learn more about his faith.

Writing on Instagram, he said: "I’m going away to learn the Word of God which I am admittedly very unfamiliar with.

"I’ve been brought up by my family to know Christ but I haven’t taken it upon myself to really just take a couple days and read my bible."

He also suggested he'll be taking the time to off to quit smoking.

We're not sure how long his break will last but in the meantime he's also dropped a clip of a new track which he says is his "best song" (below).

The BBC Music Introducing Artist Of The Year will play the charity bash at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Wednesday 27 March.

“It’s a real honour for me to play a show on behalf of Teenager Cancer Trust and raise money and awareness for so many courageous young people!," Tom said in a statement.

"To tread the boards of the Royal Albert Hall will be a life ambition ticked off for me".

He joins the previously announced Rudimental, Take That, Doves, The Script and Levellers for the week long concert series.

OK - band meeting...

Kiwi comedy duo Flight of the Concordes have released a live version of their new track, Father and Son.

You may have heard this one during their UK tour earlier this year.

The track, taken from their Live in London HBO special, charts the story of a guy (Bret McKenzie), his "biological dad" (Jermaine Clement) and his new "even cooler dad" Trevor.

Listen above if you can get away with laughing loudly wherever you are currently.

Canada's most famous sibling songwriting duo have announced a new book about their awkward teenage years.

To be published next year, High School will alternate between the twin sisters' individual points of view.

Tegan and Sara said in a joined statement: “Writing High School gives us the opportunity to tell the intricate stories that shaped our relationship as sisters, musicians, and queer girls.”

Image source, Getty Images

A pair of Post Malone Crocs - his collab with the footwear designers - are reportedly being resold online for $850 (£670) - according to Hot New Hip Hop., external

The singer/rapper's second own personalised line of the perforated foam clogs sold out within ten minutes due to huge demand and some people are prepared to pay through the nose on resale sites to get their hands... no, feet on them.

Newsbeat reporter Jimmy Blake is clearly fan (below) but we can't confirm whether or not he actually bought them.

Bill Ryder-Jones plays his final gig of the year tomorrow night in his home city of Liverpool.

The Wirral singer-songwriter will perform tracks from his new album, Yawn, which chronicles his ongoing battle with mental health issues.

Speaking to Music News LIVE however, the former Coral guitarist explains why singing about his mental health does not make him a saint.

"In my life, I've done some terrible things," he confesses, "and I worry that I'm out there promoting myself as a hero by saying these things and speaking my mind.

"I do genuinely care about people and try to do my bit but I'm not like some pariah or hero. I'm exactly the same as everyone else - I do silly, selfish and mean-spirited things at times.

"I haven't beaten myself up in a song for a while, so I'll probably give myself a good kicking lyrically soon!"

Read more.

Image source, Getty Images

Neil Young says he'll go ahead with a show in London's Hyde Park next year after the sponsor, Barclaycard, pulled out.

The star had previously criticised the BST festival for choosing a "fossil fuel funding entity" as a sponsor.

"That doesn't work for me," he wrote on his Neil Young Archives website, external.

"I believe in science. I worry about the climate crisis and am deeply concerned about its massive global ramifications."

Although he stopped short of cancelling the shows, he said "one option" would be to replace the sponsor.

On Tuesday, he appeared to claim victory in a separate post, external, saying: "NYA is happy to announce that the Hyde Park show will proceed without Barclays as a sponsor".

"We are overjoyed, so happy to be playing the show!"

Barclaycard told the BBC it would not comment on the situation. A statement from the festival is expected later, but organisers confirmed Young's show, which he is co-headlining with Bob Dylan, would go ahead as planned.

Other Hyde Park gigs, including dates by Robbie Williams and Florence + The Machine, will not be affected.

Read more.

Image source, Getty Images

Zayn has shared the 80s power ballad-esque, There You Are, and it's golden tinted lyric video below.

The former One Direction star has also released the new artwork for his second solo album, Icarus Falls, which is out on Friday.

It's a pretty literal taken on the ancient Greek myth, which if you don't know tells the story of a foolhardy boy who flew too close to the sun using a pair of wax and feather wings made by his genius father.

Warning: He ended up plummeting to his death.

Bet you didn't imagine you'd get a lesson in ancient Greece mythology from MNL on a cold Wednesday morning, did you?

Image source, Getty Images

Nick Cave has once again defended his decision to play two shows in Tel Aviv last year in an open letter to fellow musician Brian Eno.

Eno and other members of the Artists for Palestine collective, called for Cave to cancel his November gigs in Israel "while apartheid remains."

The Aussie went ahead with the shows - after hosting a press conference explaining his reasons - and now in the latest edition of his ongoing Q & A series, The Red Hand Files, Cave has called the protest movement “cowardly and shameful.”

“In fact, this is partly the reason I am playing Israel," he wrote, "not as support for any particular political entity but as a principled stand against those who wish to bully, shame and silence musicians."

Image source, Getty Images

Artists for Palestine, which also counts which includes Pink Floyd's Roger Waters, Richard Ashcroft and Jarvis Cocker, as signatories, has ties with the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement - a global campaign promoting various forms of boycott against Israel.

“I don’t intend to engage in a detailed discussion as to how the boycott of Israel can be seen to be anti-Semitic at heart," wrote Cave, "and, furthermore, does not work (rather, it risks further entrenching positions in Israel in opposition to those you support)."

He added: "But even the estimable Noam Chomsky, external considers the BDS as lacking legitimacy and inherently hypocritical.

"What we actually have here is a fundamental difference of opinion as to what the purpose of music is.”

Cave, went on to claim that having raised approximately £150,000 for the children of Palestine through the Hoping Foundation that “in a sense, I have already played the other side," and argued speaking to people in Israel was a more productive way of addressing injustice than a boycott.

BBC Newsbeat

Image source, Getty Images

Ellie has been talking about her commitment to helping tackle rough sleeping in the UK.

The singer is an ambassador for the Streets of London charity and is playing a headline show, external at Wembley Arena later this month, alongside Dua Lipa, Clean Bandit and other artists.

"Homelessness has been on the rise every year which is why I will scream about it as much as I can," Ellie has told Newsbeat.

"If you see someone on the street, even if you don't have any cash on you, I genuinely think the interaction is more important than anything... if you don't have the money, just have a conversation."

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Morning all and welcome back to Music News LIVE.

The party season is now upon us, but the news does not stop.

Coming up:

• Neil Young says his Hyde Park Show will go ahead without Barclays as its sponsor
• Nick Cave defends Israel gig in open letter to Brian Eno
• Ellie Goulding commits to tackling homelessness
• Bill Ryder-Jones on how singing about his mental health doesn't make him a hero

• Post Malone's second round of Crocs sell out in less than 10 minutes

While we get revved up check out Robyn revelling with her fans in a new behind the scenes video (above).