War Child UK looks to 'Help' again with a new benefit album, 30 years after its first success
#War Child UK #Help(2) album #benefit compilation #charity music #war-torn regions #artist activism #children in crisis
📌 Key Takeaways
- War Child UK releases 'Help(2)' album 30 years after their successful 1995 compilation
- Original album raised over 1.25 million pounds for children in war-torn Bosnia
- New album features unreleased songs from Arctic Monkeys, Olivia Rodrigo, Wet Leg and others
- Funds will support children in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and other war zones
- Artists feel compelled to act due to increasing numbers of children affected by war
📖 Full Retelling
War Child UK is releasing its new benefit album 'Help(2)' on Friday, March 5, 2026, thirty years after the success of its star-studded 1995 compilation 'Help,' which raised over 1.25 million pounds for children affected by war in Bosnia. The original album reached No. 1 on the British charts and featured unreleased songs from Britpop's elite artists including Oasis, Blur and Radiohead, as well as a supergroup with Paul McCartney and Paul Weller. Rich Clarke, War Child UK's head of music, noted the charity has been trying to recreate this success ever since, but an all-star follow-up never materialized until now. The new album will feature unreleased songs from contemporary artists including Arctic Monkeys, Olivia Rodrigo and Wet Leg to raise funds and awareness for children suffering in numerous war zones including Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan. Clarke emphasized that musicians now feel not just a desire but a necessity to act, stating 'That's a powerful driver. And sometimes, things happen when they're meant to happen.' Jarvis Cocker of Pulp contributed a song called 'Begging for Change,' which he had started 14 years ago but finally completed with the focus of helping others. The recording process at Abbey Road Studios in London involved children filming a documentary and even forming a choir that appears on the track, providing a child's perspective on the charity's mission.
🏷️ Themes
Music for charity, Global humanitarian crises, Artist activism
📚 Related People & Topics
Entity Intersection Graph
Connections for War Child:
View full profileMentioned Entities
Original Source
War Child UK looks to 'Help' again with a new benefit album, 30 years after its first success Thirty years after the success of its star-studded “Help” benefit compilation, War Child UK is releasing its follow-up called “Help(2)." By GLENN GAMBOA AP business writer March 5, 2026, 12:05 AM War Child UK’s first benefit compilation album was a stunning success when it debuted in 1995. Reaching No. 1 on the British charts, "Help" raised more than 1.25 million pounds (about $1.938 million) for the nonprofit’s support to children and their families in war-torn Bosnia. Packed with unreleased songs from Britpop’s elite artists — including Oasis , Blur and Radiohead — as well as a supergroup that included Paul McCartney and Paul Weller, it’s no wonder that Rich Clarke, War Child UK’s head of music, says the charity has been looking to recreate ever since. For a variety of reasons, an all-star follow-up to “Help” never materialized — until now. On Friday, “Help(2)” will hit stores and streaming platforms, powered by unreleased songs from Arctic Monkeys, Olivia Rodrigo , Wet Leg and others, to raise funds and awareness for children suffering in numerous war zones , including Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan. “I think it’s a situation now where musicians feel not that they want to do something, but that they need to do something,” Clarke said. “That’s a powerful driver. And sometimes, things happen when they’re meant to happen.” Jarvis Cocker’s connection to War Child UK stretches back to 1996, when his band Pulp donated the financial windfall from winning the prestigious Mercury Prize to the charity. So when James Ford — who produced Pulp’s first new album in 24 years, “More,” last year — approached Cocker about contributing a song to a War Child UK compilation, he jumped at the chance. “When the last one happened, it was something like 10% of the world’s kids were living in poor areas, and now it’s more like 20%,” Cocker told The Associated Press. “And it’s a strange thing, you know, ...
Read full article at source