War Child UK looks to ‘Help’ again with a new benefit album, 30 years after its first success

After nearly three decades, War Child UK revives its iconic “Help” album series with an all-star lineup of contemporary artists to aid children in global conflict zones.

War Child UK’s groundbreaking benefit compilation album “Help” made history in 1995 when it topped the British charts and raised more than 1.25 million pounds (approximately $1.938 million) for children affected by war in Bosnia. The original album featured unreleased tracks from Britpop icons Oasis, Blur, and Radiohead, alongside a supergroup including Paul McCartney and Paul Weller.

Now, after years of attempting to recapture that magic, War Child UK is finally releasing a follow-up. “Help(2)” debuts this Friday, featuring exclusive tracks from Arctic Monkeys, Olivia Rodrigo, Wet Leg, and other prominent artists. The compilation aims to generate funds and awareness for children suffering in numerous conflict 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,” explained Rich Clarke, War Child UK’s head of music. “That’s a powerful driver. And sometimes, things happen when they’re meant to happen.”

Jarvis Cocker, frontman of the influential band Pulp, has a long-standing relationship with War Child UK dating back to 1996, when his group donated their Mercury Prize winnings to the charity. When producer James Ford approached Cocker about contributing to the new compilation, he enthusiastically agreed.

“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, childhood sets you up for the rest of your life or it doesn’t.”

Pulp’s contribution, “Begging for Change,” was a song Cocker had struggled to complete for 14 years. “Somehow, with it having the focus of trying to help some people and change their situation, I did manage to finish it,” he said. “And I’m quite pleased with the result.”

The recording process at London’s Abbey Road Studios included an unusual element – children filming the session for a documentary directed by Jonathan Glazer. Despite his typical reluctance to be filmed while singing, Cocker embraced the concept.

“If you’re going to do a thing for a charity that is supposed to help children in war zones, then it makes sense to capture it from a child’s point of view,” he reasoned. Cocker even incorporated some of the children into a choir that appears on the track, providing a tangible reminder of the project’s purpose.

“Charity shouldn’t have to exist if governments did what they were supposed to, if they looked after people and looked after the world,” Cocker reflected. “But they do need to exist. They need to exist even more now.”

Benefit compilations have a rich tradition within independent music, offering artists a hands-on approach to supporting causes they believe in. John Nolan, guitarist and vocalist for Taking Back Sunday and Straylight Run, who recently released his own benefit compilation “Music for Everyone, Vol. 2” for the American Civil Liberties Union, emphasized the DIY nature of such projects.

“I think that’s also why a lot of more underground bands take on compilations for causes too, because it’s something you can be kind of DIY with,” Nolan said.

For many artists, participating in the “Help(2)” compilation represents a natural extension of their ongoing activism. Black Country, New Road, who contributed their track “Strangers,” have previously organized fundraisers for Palestinian children.

“With what was going on in the world a couple of years ago, I think it became important to us that we became more aware and started questioning things and how we wanted to move as artists,” said Georgia Ellery, the band’s violinist.

The statistics underscoring the need for such initiatives are sobering. According to Cocker, the percentage of children living in impoverished areas has doubled from approximately 10% during the original “Help” album to 20% today. This dramatic increase has galvanized artists to take action.

Graham Hastings of Scottish band Young Fathers, another contributor to “Help(2),” described the decision to participate as a “no-brainer.”

“When you see children in these refugee camps, for me it’s a sign of humanity failing for that to even occur,” Hastings said. “For us, the important thing is for people just to feel a general awareness about what’s happening and why it’s happening, and get active and get involved in the community.”

As “Help(2)” prepares to hit stores and streaming platforms, it carries forward a meaningful legacy while addressing contemporary crises. The project demonstrates the continued power of music to raise awareness and funds for humanitarian causes, particularly when artists unite behind a shared mission to protect the world’s most vulnerable children.