Photo: Damon Albarn, Grian Chatten, Kae Tempest by Lawrence Watson
Thirty years on from the first War Child charity LP ‘The Help Album’, which featured Suede, Massive Attack, Paul McCartney and Portishead, among others, ‘Help(2)’ brings together a similarly impressive ensemble spanning several generations and genres. The result is an eclectic mix of new material, unreleased tracks, and, in the case of Oasis, a huge live version of Acquiesce taken from their triumphant Wembley shows in 2025.
At close to an hour and a half, it’s an epic collection with 23 tracks. Opening Night is the first taste of new Arctic Monkeys music in more than three years and should whet fans’ appetites in the absence of news about a full studio album. It throws an anthemic chorus into the mix while not completely abandoning the sound of their past two records.
In addition to Arctic Monkeys, Foals make a comeback of sorts with When The War is Finally Done, a track that has been in the works since 2019. It’s perhaps softer than fans might expect, showcasing a different side to the band while underlining how missed they’ve been of late.
Flags is an intriguing collaboration between Damon Albarn, Grian Chatten and Kae Tempest. Chatten’s Fontaines D.C. also feature later on with a cover of Sinead O’Connor’s Black Boys on Mopeds, while other collaborations include Ezra Collective and Greentea Peng, a slight shift from the more indie and alternative sounds found on the record.
The breadth and scale of artists assembled is highly impressive, with Pulp featuring with Begging for Change, a track they weren’t able to complete for their recent album ‘More’. Portishead’s Beth Gibbons brings a haunting cover of The Velvet Underground’s Sunday Morning, while Wet Leg mark a departure from the rambunctious sound of their second LP with the stripped-back Obvious, perhaps one of the biggest surprises found here.
The blend of generations, Depeche Mode sitting alongside English Teacher and Olivia Rodrigo, means it has a wider appeal than projects of this nature might in other circumstances. But, even with such an all-star ensemble, the risk found here is pulling together a cohesive collection that helps to showcase War Child’s mission. This does just that — far from feeling disposable, the tracks really work as standalones and as a complementary whole.
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
We don't run any advertising! Our editorial content is solely funded by lovely people like yourself using Stereoboard's listings when buying tickets for live events. To keep supporting us, next time you're looking for concert, festival, sport or theatre tickets, please search for "Stereoboard". It costs you nothing, you may find a better price than the usual outlets, and save yourself from waiting in an endless queue on Friday mornings as we list ALL available sellers!
.jpg)
.jpg)
