• Olivia Rodrigo, Arctic Monkeys and Pulp are among 30+ artists who recorded Help 2 for War Child.
  • 23 tracks were captured over a week at Abbey Road, with surprise collaborations and a child film crew.
  • First single “Opening Night” by Arctic Monkeys is out now; full album releases 6 March with profits to War Child.

H2: Big names gather at Abbey Road for Help 2

A star-studded group of more than 30 artists gathered at Abbey Road last November to record Help 2, a charity album raising funds for War Child. Over seven days, producers used up to five studios simultaneously to capture 23 tracks, with spontaneous collaborations and an energetic atmosphere driven by the cause.

H3: Notable contributors and surprise pairings

The tracklist reads like an indie-rock roll call: Olivia Rodrigo, Wet Leg, The Last Dinner Party, Wolf Alice, Fontaines D.C., Nilüfer Yanya, Cameron Winter, Ezra Collective, Foals and Young Fathers are among those who contributed. Damon Albarn worked with Johnny Marr and guest vocalists Kae Tempest and Grian Chatten. Blur’s Graham Coxon plays guitar on Rodrigo’s cover of The Magnetic Fields’ “The Book of Love.” Jarvis Cocker even recruited visiting musicians to sing on Pulp’s new track “Begging For Change.”

H3: Arctic Monkeys release first single

The first single from the album, Arctic Monkeys’ “Opening Night,” is already out. A sparse, sinister ballad, the song explores political sloganeering and offers a harmonised chorus that turns toward hope. Drummer Matt Helders said the band completed a partly unfinished track after getting the call from War Child — preferring to add an original song rather than a cover for this project.

H2: Children at the heart of the project

Bafta-winning director Jonathan Glazer supervised a team of children, aged around eight to ten, to film and document the sessions. The youngsters roamed the studios with handheld cameras and occasionally appear on-record — most notably providing the live-sounding screams captured on Pulp’s contribution. Artists said the child filmmakers helped loosen the usual studio tension and lent a playful, spontaneous energy to recordings.

H3: A lineage of charity and urgency behind Help 2

Help 2 follows the spirit of the 1995 Help! album, which raised nearly £1.25m for children affected by war. War Child highlights a renewed urgency in 2025: roughly 520 million children worldwide are affected by conflict, with crises in Ukraine, Sudan and Gaza driving unprecedented need.

H2: Release details and purpose

Help(2) is due for release on 6 March. Thanks to donated services from record labels and pressing plants, the album will be sold at a reduced price — double vinyl is expected to cost about £26 — with all profits going to War Child. Olivia Rodrigo’s closing track, a cover about the redemptive power of love, is slated to end the album on a poignant note.

The project’s organizers say the sessions sparked wide creative support, with more tracks submitted than could fit on the album. Help 2 aims to raise money and awareness, using music and community to spotlight the plight of children growing up in war zones.

Image Referance: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy4qqdy29d2o