Arctic Monkeys release a new track: listen to “Opening Night” from the charity compilation “HELP(2)”

The Arctic Monkeys break a three-year silence with “Opening Night”, an unreleased track that serves as the preview for “HELP(2)”, the ambitious charity compilation curated by War Child Uk. It's the British band's first new release since 2022's “The Car“, and it kicks off a collective project bringing together some of the most relevant voices on the contemporary scene.

Listen to "Opening Night" by Arctic Monkeys below.

Conceived as the ideal follow-up to "HELP" (1995), "HELP(2)" revives the original spirit of the initiative: music recorded in a hurry, a stellar cast and one clear goal: supporting children affected by armed conflicts. As back then, the sessions took place at Abbey Road Studios, with James Ford in the producer's chair. Everything was recorded within a single week, in November 2025. The release is set for March 6th, with pre-orders already live.

Alongside "Opening Night", the collection alternates unreleased tracks and reinterpretations: Olivia Rodrigo reworks "The Book of Love" by Magnetic Fields, Fontaines D.C. take on "Black Boys on Mopeds" by Sinéad O'Connor, while the rest of the record lines up a particularly rich roster that includes, among others, Depeche Mode, Pulp, Beth Gibbons, Beck, Sampha, Big Thief, Wet Leg, King Krule, Foals, Arlo Parks and The Last Dinner Party.

James Ford has explained that he accepted War Child's invitation without hesitation, stressing how necessary the project felt to him in the current climate: a concrete way to mobilise the music community around an "unequivocally positive" cause, one capable of restoring a sense of urgency and shared purpose. An experience, he added, that was also intense on a personal level.

The Arctic Monkeys, for their part, say they developed the idea for the track right after Ford's call, then got together at Abbey Road to record it. The band reiterates its pride in being able to support War Child's work, and its hope that the record can make a real difference in the lives of children caught up in conflict.

The project is also accompanied by a companion film directed by Jonathan Glazer. Following the "By Children, For Children" concept, the director handed out dozens of cameras to a group of children, giving them complete freedom to document the studio sessions. The result is a visual account that flips the perspective and reinforces the message of the whole operation.

"HELP(2)" thus stands not only as a collection of high artistic pedigree, but as a collective gesture that reaffirms music's role as a tool for cultural and civic intervention.

Championed by Brian Eno, the original “HELP” became one of the most iconic and celebrated charity albums in the history of contemporary music. The compilation featured major artists such as Oasis, Blur, Radiohead, Massive Attack, Portishead, Sinéad O’Connor, Paul McCartney, Paul Weller and many others, giving rise to a project that combined creative urgency with civic commitment.

The record's genesis has become the stuff of legend. Every track was recorded in the space of a single day, Monday September 4, 1995, mixed the following day, and released in record time on Saturday September 9. The idea of compressing the entire process into 24 hours drew on an insight from John Lennon, who, speaking about his 1970 single “Instant Karma”, argued that records should work like newspapers: tools capable of reacting to reality as it happens.

The response was immediate. “HELP” sold over 70,000 copies on its first day, topped the UK compilation albums chart, and would have reached number one on the general albums chart too, had the rules allowed it. Following its release, the project was honoured with a specially created BRIT Award, collected by Thom Yorke, as well as a Q Award that confirmed its cultural impact. In 1996 it was also nominated for the Mercury Prize, which was won by Different Class by Pulp — who nonetheless chose to donate the entire cash prize to War Child, further cementing the bond between that musical moment and the humanitarian cause.

Here is the official tracklist for "HELP(2)".

01. Arctic Monkeys – “Opening Night”

02. Damon Albarn, Grian Chatten & Kae Tempest – “Flags”

03. Black Country, New Road – “Strangers”

04. The Last Dinner Party – “Let’s Do It Again!”

05. Beth Gibbons – “Sunday Morning”

06. Arooj Aftab & Beck – “Lilac Wine”

07. King Krule – “The 343 Loop”

08. Depeche Mode – “Universal Soldier”

09. Ezra Collective & Greentea Peng – “Helicopters”

10. Arlo Parks – “Nothing I Could Hide”

11. English Teacher & Graham Coxon – “Parasite”

12. Beabadoobee – “Say Yes”

13. 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 & Dove Ellis – "Sunday Light"

23. Olivia Rodrigo – “The Book Of Love”

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