Unveiling Help 2: The Star-Studded Charity Album for Warchild

Tue Feb 03 2026 22:11:06 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Discover the behind-the-scenes moments from the recording of Help 2, featuring renowned artists like Olivia Rodrigo and Damon Albarn, aiming to raise awareness and funds for children affected by war.

Help 2, the successor to the iconic 1995 charity album, sees over 30 artists convene at Abbey Road Studios to record tracks in support of Warchild. With contributions from indie staples including Arctic Monkeys and Pulp, the album aims to confront ongoing global crises affecting millions of children. Notably, a cast of young filmmakers documented the sessions, capturing the spontaneity and warmth of the occasion.

Damon Albarn is standing in the doorway of Abbey Road's canteen, deep in conversation with The Libertines' Carl Barat. Nearby, Pulp are queueing for a fresh batch of lasagne. Around them, half a dozen children are running around, filming everything on handheld cameras. All of them are excitedly awaiting the arrival of Olivia Rodrigo.

These were the scenes in London last November, as some of the world's biggest stars convened to record a new charity album in aid of Warchild.

The tracklist, revealed yesterday, is like a who's who of indie rock. Wet Leg, The Last Dinner Party, Wolf Alice, Fontaines DC, Nilüfer Yanya, Cameron Winter, Ezra Collective, Foals and Young Fathers all contribute.

Over the course of one week, 23 tracks were recorded. At times, five of Abbey Road's famed studios were in use, with collaborations springing up on the spur of the moment.

Blur's Graham Coxon plays guitar with Rodrigo on a cover of The Magnetic Fields' The Book Of Love. Damon Albarn's session saw him joined by Johnny Marr on guitar, with additional vocals by Kae Tempest and Grian Chatten.

Later in the day, Jarvis Cocker got back from a bathroom break to find them all in his studio - so he got them to sing the intro to a new Pulp song, Begging For Change.

They just turned up, so I thought, 'Why not?' he laughs. I'm not used to that kind of thing, but it was really good.

The album is the spiritual successor to 1995's Help! - recorded at the height of Britpop, and featuring contributions from Paul Weller, Radiohead, Suede, Paul McCartney, The KLF, Portishead and The Manic Street Preachers. It was also, famously, the only time Oasis and Blur appeared on the same record, just months after their legendary (and acrimonious) chart battle.

In 2025, the fund-raising is even more urgent. According to Warchild, 520 million children worldwide - almost one in five - are affected by war, with simultaneous crises in Ukraine, Sudan and Gaza.

The first single, released on Thursday, is a new track by Arctic Monkeys called Opening Night. A sparse, sinister ballad, it finds Alex Turner singing about political sloganeering and supercomputer crusades before a beautifully harmonised chorus that offers a message of hope in dark times.

Thanks to record labels and pressing plants donating their services free of charge, Help 2 will be cheaper than standard albums - with a double vinyl costing around £26 - and Warchild receiving all the profits.

Ultimately, Olivia Rodrigo's song - about the purity of love - was always earmarked as the closing track of an album designed not just to provide music, but to uplift and support those in desperate need.

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