‘HELP(2)’ is out now via War Child Records, and it’s one of the most significant charity album releases in decades. Inspired by the landmark 1995 ‘HELP’ album that raised over £1.2 million for children caught in the Bosnian conflict, the new record brings together an extraordinary roster of artists in support of War Child UK’s ongoing work delivering immediate aid, education, mental health support, and protection to children affected by conflict worldwide.
The Last Dinner Party contribute “Let’s Do It Again!,” produced by James Ford and Animesh Ravel and recorded at Angel Studios. A flawless slice of theatrical pop about the endless carousel of returning to a relationship you know you shouldn’t be in, the track showcases exactly why the band has become one of the most exciting acts to emerge in recent years. “It’s such an honour to be included on this record for a cause that is so close to our hearts,” the band says. “We’d like to say a huge thank you to War Child for asking us to be a part of the project and to James Ford for producing us.”
The album was recorded predominantly across one extraordinary week in November 2025 at Abbey Road Studios under the stewardship of James Ford. The contributor list is staggering: Arctic Monkeys, Olivia Rodrigo, Pulp, Beth Gibbons, Depeche Mode, Fontaines D.C., Big Thief, Wet Leg, Foals, Beabadoobee, Arlo Parks, King Krule, Sampha, Young Fathers, Bat For Lashes, Beck with Arooj Aftab, Damon Albarn with Grian Chatten and Kae Tempest, English Teacher with Graham Coxon, and Anna Calvi with Ellie Rowsell, Nilüfer Yanya, and Dove Ellis, among others.
Several sessions produced genuinely remarkable moments. Damon Albarn’s “Flags” saw him joined by Johnny Marr on guitar alongside Kae Tempest and Grian Chatten of Fontaines D.C. Olivia Rodrigo was connected with Graham Coxon, resulting in the legendary guitarist performing on her cover of The Magnetic Fields’ “The Book of Love.” These aren’t cameos; they’re real collaborations born from the urgency of the project.
Academy Award-winning filmmaker Jonathan Glazer served as Creative Director, working with Mica Levi on a concept built around the phrase “By Children, For Children.” Children were handed cameras and invited into the studios to film the artists recording without restrictions. Glazer’s team also worked with fixers and filmmakers in Ukraine, Gaza, Yemen, and Sudan to gather footage filmed by children on the ground in those conflict zones. The resulting visual work connects the album directly to the children it seeks to help.
The numbers behind the urgency are stark. When the original ‘HELP’ was released in 1995, around 10% of the world’s children were affected by conflict. Today that figure has nearly doubled to almost 1 in 5, representing 520 million children worldwide, more than at any time since the Second World War. War Child UK currently delivers vital work across 14 countries including Sudan, Gaza, Ukraine, and Syria.
The original ‘HELP,’ led by Brian Eno and featuring Oasis, Blur, Radiohead, Massive Attack, Portishead, and Paul McCartney among others, sold over 70,000 copies on day one and reached No. 1 in the UK compilation charts. ‘HELP(2)’ carries that legacy forward with the same collective urgency and considerably more firepower.
‘HELP(2)’ Track Listing:
Arctic Monkeys – “Opening Night”
Damon Albarn, Grian Chatten & Kae Tempest – “Flags”
Black Country, New Road – “Strangers”
The Last Dinner Party – “Let’s Do It Again!”
Beth Gibbons – “Sunday Morning”
Arooj Aftab & Beck – “Lilac Wine”
King Krule – “The 343 Loop”
Depeche Mode – “Universal Soldier”
Ezra Collective & Greentea Peng – “Helicopters”
Arlo Parks – “Nothing I Could Hide”
English Teacher & Graham Coxon – “Parasite”
Beabadoobee – “Say Yes”
Big Thief – “Relive, Redie”
Fontaines D.C. – “Black Boys on Mopeds”
Cameron Winter – “Warning”
Young Fathers – “Don’t Fight the Young”
Pulp – “Begging for Change”
Sampha – “Naboo”
Wet Leg – “Obvious”
Foals – “When the War is Finally Done”
Bat For Lashes – “Carried my girl”
Anna Calvi, Ellie Rowsell, Nilüfer Yanya & Dove Ellis – “Sunday Light”
Olivia Rodrigo – “The Book of Love”