War Child is an international non-government organisation founded in 1993, working with families, corporations and worldwide governments to ensure protection, education and support for children who are impacted by war and distressing conditions caused by political conflict. War Child UK worked with the music, media and entertainment industries through the 90’s to raise awareness and money for the charity in its beginnings. David Bowie, Elton John and many more artists backed the organisation during its start-up, with some of the most popular names in the British music scene joining forces to produce an album to raise money for the charity.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Arctic Monkeys (@arcticmonkeys)

Over twenty UK hit artists came together to produce ‘Help!’ in 1995. Including songs from Blur and Oasis – whose “Battle of Britpop” rivalry was a huge pop culture news story at the time – their allegiance in recording the album gained plenty of attention much to the charity’s benefit. They featured in the album alongside The Boo Radleys, The Stone Roses, Orbital, Radiohead, Portishead, Massive Attack, Suede and more.

“It’s the only time you’ll see us agreeing on anything,” said Oasis’ Noel Gallagher in regards to working with Blur for ‘Help!‘. “We put aside our differences for the cause.”

‘Help(2)’ is comprised of 23 songs produced by a genre-diverse lineup of global music icons, from indie rock legends Arctic Monkeys to alternative pop-princess Olivia Rodrigo and many more big names. The contributing musicians began recording over a week in November 2025 at Abbey Road studios, birthplace of The Beatles’ ‘Come Together‘ and Pink Floyd’s ‘The Great Gig In The Sky‘ – along with many other globally acclaimed records. A few singles were released to promote the second charity volume, including Arctic Monkeys’ ‘Opening Night’ which gained 15 million streams on Spotify. The full album has been released today and is available on streaming services and to purchase at www.warchild.org.

The 1995 album was a hit, raising £1.25 million for War Child. Although there is concern for streaming platforms having overtaken album purchases significantly, Rich Clarke from War Child UK has ensured that rights and royalties will be donated to the charity. The album would need to reach 400 million streams to reach that figure. Merchandise has also been created to help raise money, including a Vinyl, T-shirts and a CD that includes an exclusive bonus Oasis live recording.

Help(2) Double LP and Exclusive 7″ Vinyl of ‘Acquiesce (Live From Wembley)’ By Oasis. Available to buy at https://store.warchild.org.uk/

Producer James Ford has curated an album that’s good for the cause as it for the ears, described as an “intriguing mix of strikingly fresh covers and affecting originals” by album critic Matthew Davies Lombardi (DIY Magazine). The array of musicians and their diverse sounds uniting in aid of War Child gives something for everyone to enjoy, from the music itself to the consequential support given by enjoying it.

“30 years ago, today and, no doubt, 30 years from now, the message remains clear and universal – no child should ever be part of war. Ever.” – DIY Magazine.

The exciting new track list for ‘Help(2)‘ can be seen below.

Side A

1. Arctic Monkeys – Opening Night

2. Damon Albarn, Grian Chatten & Kae Tempest - Flags

3. Black Country, New Road – Strangers

4. The Last Dinner Party – Let’s do It Again!

5. Beth Gibbons – Sunday Morning

Side B

6. Arooj Aftab & Beck – Lilac Wine

7. King Krule – The 343 Loop

8. Depeche Mode - Universal Soldier

9. Ezra Collective & Greentea Peng - Helicopters

10. Arlo Parks – Nothing I Could Hide

11. English Teacher & Graham Coxon - Parasite

12. Beabadoobee – Say Yes

Side C

13. Big Thief - Relive, Redie

14. Fontaines D.C. - Black Boys On Mopeds

15. Cameron Winter - Warning

16. Young Fathers - Don’t Fight The Young

17. Pulp – Begging For Change

18. Sampha – Naboo

Side D

19. Wet Leg – Obvious

20. Foals – When The War Is Finally Done

21. Bat For Lashes - Carried My Girl

22. Anna Calvi, Dove Ellis, Ellie Rowsell & Nilüfer Yanya - Sunday Light

23. Olivia Rodrigo – The Book of Love

warchild.org.uk

The band announced the album on social media saying; “On June 7, 2018 we played a very special show at London’s Royal Albert Hall. All the proceeds from that memorable night were donated to @warchilduk in support of the vital work they do protecting, educating and rehabilitating children who have experienced the trauma of conflict and the horror of war.”

They went on to discuss the trouble the charity was facing; “The situation that was bad in 2018 is now desperate and those children and their families need our help more than ever. To enable War Child UK to reduce their funding deficit and continue their valuable work, we are happy to be able to release a live album, recorded that evening at the @royalalberthall. All proceeds will go direct to the charity.”

View this post on Instagram

On June 7, 2018 we played a very special show at London’s Royal Albert Hall. All the proceeds from that memorable night were donated to @warchilduk in support of the vital work they do protecting, educating and rehabilitating children who have experienced the trauma of conflict and the horror of war. The situation that was bad in 2018 is now desperate and those children and their families need our help more than ever. To enable War Child UK to reduce their funding deficit and continue their valuable work, we are happy to be able to release a live album, recorded that evening at the @royalalberthall. All proceeds will go direct to the charity. We thank all our fans in advance for their support of this release and in turn for their support of War Child UK. Link in bio to pre-order.

A post shared by Arctic Monkeys (@arcticmonkeys) on Oct 28, 2020 at 3:00am PDT

This will be the band’s first album in two years after their Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino album, which was a new take on the band’s usual guitar-heavy sound by incorporating a new lounge pop and glam rock style. The album was nominated for the 2018 Mercury Prize for best album and the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album.

This comes following rumours that spiralled earlier in the month that the Arctic Monkeys were workig on new material, when images surfaced of drummer, Matt Helders at a recording studio. The images were of Helders sitting behind a drum kit in a Los Angeles studio, surrounded by a selection of keyboards and amplifiers.

Arctic Monkeys: Live At The Royal Albert Hall will be out on December 4th. The tracklist is below.

1. Four Out Of Five
2. Brianstorm
3. Crying Lightning
4. Do I Wanna Know?
5. Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?
6. 505
7. One Point Perspective
8. Do Me A Favour
9. Cornerstone
10. Knee Socks
11. Arabella
12. Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino
13. She Looks Like Fun
14. From The Ritz To The Rubble
15. Pretty Visitors
16. Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair
17. I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
18. Star Treatment
19. The View From The Afternoon
20. R U Mine?

‘To Mr Fahey‘ contains ten instrumental tracks with the style of folk music. The title track is the sole song entirely composed by the guitarist, whereas the rest is original work by by various musicians such as Nick Drake, Davey Graham, and Merle Travis.

Produced by Oddie’s close friend John Victor, the LP is “an attempt to share with you some of the guitar players that have inspired [him] throughout the years and to introduce those who may not already be au fait with the humble folk guitar instrumental.” Read the full note about the record from Oddie below.

Hello Guys – Joff here!

Today, I’ll be releasing ‘To Mr Fahey’ a cover album with all profits going to The Trussell Trust, a charity that sets up and supports food banks across the country. You can read more below & stream/buy the album here – https://t.co/V3HdowoE4P x pic.twitter.com/9Ae5H0vP1q

— Wolf Alice (@wolfalicemusic) May 15, 2020

Moreover, Oddie (who volunteered at the Camden branch of the Trussell Trust in 2019) will donate all proceeds from ‘To Mr Fahey‘ to the charity. He also released a statement, according to Dork, which reads: “The year is 2019 and after 11 brutal years of Tory austerity the country I love has given up on its social obligation to look after its most vulnerable members. An estimated 4 million people now live in poverty, homelessness is up by 168% since 2010 and a broken economic system has meant that over 25% of benefit claimants are actually in work.”

He added, “Naturally this album made up of covers of my favourite folk instrumentalists, will do little to redress these moral injustices. However, faced with a system that no longer cares it is imperative that we all do our bit.” “For this reason every single penny of profit from this record will be going to the Trussell Trust, a food bank charity, who at present give out over 1.33 million food parcels a year to those in need across the U.K. It is organisations like this, and the kind hearted individuals who make them up, that act as a guiding light to us all in these dark and troubled times.”

You can stream/buy my album ‘Mr Fahey’ here. All profits go to The Trussell Trust to help support food banks across the UK. Joff x https://t.co/V3HdowoE4P pic.twitter.com/NZNUMHo2JU

— Wolf Alice (@wolfalicemusic) May 15, 2020

‘To Mr Fahey‘ is available now (via Dirty Hit) for streaming and purchasing. There is also a limited number of physical copies, which can be checked out here.

Picture credit: Andy DeLuca