Arctic Monkeys Share New Song Opening Night From All-Star War Child Charity Album
Thursday, 22 January 2026
Written by Jon Stickler
Photo: Phoebe Fox
Arctic Monkeys have released their first new song in four years, Opening Night.
Serving up atmospheric instrumentation over a steady rhythm, the reflective track opens the upcoming star-studded War Child charity album 'HELP(2)', due out on March 6 via War Child Records.
Produced by James Ford, whose previous credits include Arctic Monkeys, Gorillaz, Florence + The Machine, Blur, and Pet Shop Boys, the album was recorded at Abbey Road Studios within a week last November. Arctic Monkeys said:
"When James Ford called and asked if we’d contribute to the HELP(2) album we set to work on a song idea and assembled in Abbey Road to record it. We are proud to support the invaluable work War Child do and hope the record will make a positive difference to the lives of children affected by war."
Ford added: "I felt incredibly honoured when War Child asked me to work on HELP(2). The original HELP meant a lot to me and to have the opportunity, given the current news cycle, to help galvanise our music community into doing something as unarguably positive as helping children in war zones seemed like a no brainer.
"The experience of making the album itself has been very powerful, and dare I say life affirming for me personally, against the backdrop of a very difficult year. I’m extremely proud of the results and of the efforts made by all involved. I can’t wait for people to hear this very special record."
Directly inspired by the 1995 Brian Eno-led collaborative release 'HELP', which brought together Oasis, The Stone Roses, Radiohead, Paul McCartney and more to record songs in support of War Child, the follow-up compilation will feature another all-star line-up with the Sheffield indie giants joined by a host of big indie stars.
Other bands and artists set to appear include Pulp, Anna Calvi, Beabadoobee, Beck, Bat For Lashes, Blur's Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon, Depeche Mode, The Last Dinner Party, Fontaines D.C., Arlo Parks, Foals, Wolf Alice's Ellie Rowsell, English Teacher, Ezra Collective, Olivia Rodrigo, Sampha, Wet Leg, Johnny Marr, Young Fathers and more. Check out the full tracklist and a trailer for the album below.
Arctic Monkeys released their latest album, 'The Car', in 2022.
'HELP(2)' tracklist:
1. Arctic Monkeys – ‘Opening Night’
2. Damon Albarn, Grian Chatten and Kae Tempest – ‘Flags’
3. Black Country, New Road – ‘Strangers’
4. The Last Dinner Party – ‘Let’s do it again!’
5. Beth Gibbons – ‘Sunday Morning’
6. Arooj Aftab and Beck – ‘Lilac Wine’
7. King Krule – ‘The 343 Loop’
8. Depeche Mode – ‘Universal Soldier’
9. Ezra Collective ans Greentea Peng – ‘Helicopters’
10. Arlo Parks – ‘Nothing I Could Hide’
11. English Teacher and Graham Coxon – ‘Parasite’
12. Beabadoobee – ‘Say Yes’
3. 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’
19. Wet Leg – ‘Obvious’
20. Foals – ‘When the War is Finally Done’
21. Bat For Lashes – ‘Carried my girl’
22. Anna Calvi, Ellie Rowsell, Nilüfer Yanya and Dove Ellis – ‘Sunday Light’
23. Olivia Rodrigo – ‘The Book of Love’
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