Huge names including Johnny Marr, Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker, The Libertines’ Carl Barât, Declan McKenna, English Teacher, and more helped form the choir that features on the new ‘Help(2)’ song ‘Flags’.
The song was released yesterday (Thursday February 12) as the second preview of War Child’s new charity compilation album, which features a star-studded cast and raises money for young people whose lives have been affected by war and conflict.
Titled ‘Flags’, the song followed on from the Arctic Monkeys’ lead single ‘Opening Night’ – their first new music since 2022 – and saw Blur and Gorillaz icon Damon Albarn come together with Fontaines D.C. frontman Grian Chatten and British poet and artist Kae Tempest.
It was Albarn, James Ford, Marta Salogni and Toby L, and also featured instrumentation from Johnny Marr, Dave Okumu, Adrian Utley (Portishead), Gorillaz’ bassist Seye Adelekan, and Ezra Collective’s Femi Koleoso, as well as a 43-piece children’s choir.
A second choir was also featured in the recording, which was comprised of some massive names including members of Pulp and The Libertines.
Britpop icon and Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker helped form the choir, as did The Libertines’ guitarist Carl Barât. Also included was soloist and former Smiths icon Marr, as well as Declan McKenna, English Teacher, Black Country, New Road, Nadia Kadek, Marika Hackman and Rosa Walton (Let’s Eat Grandma).
Carl Barât shared some photos from his time in the studio forming the choir, and urged people to interact with the album as “every stream, pre-order, and share helps turn compassion into action – raising vital funds and awareness for children living through the unthinkable.”
Albarn also shared a statement saying that it was a “genuinely joyful two days” recording the song, and that it felt like there was “a strong sense of purpose throughout the building”.
As well as sharing the single, filmmaker and Academy Award-winner Jonathan Glazer also directed art for ‘Help(2)’, handing the cameras over to children in order to see the world through their eyes.
The footage includes what they saw in the studios, as well as footage from those on the ground in Ukraine, Gaza, Yemen and Sudan. A new clip from the studio during the recording of ‘Flags’ is out now, and available to watch below.
The all-star choir isn’t just featured on ‘Flags’ either. In a recent interview with Apple Music 1, Albarn revealed that while Cocker featured in the choir for his contribution to the album, he also joined a star-studded choir for Pulp’s song for the record.
Pulp’s song for the charity album has not yet been released, but will be called ‘Begging For Change’.
The new ‘HELP(2)’ record will be released on March 6 and can be pre-ordered here. It comes following the original ‘Help’ record for War Child, which was released in 1995 and featured Oasis, Blur, Radiohead, Orbital, Portishead, Massive Attack, Suede, Sinéad O’Connor, Manic Street Preachers, The Boo Radleys and more.
That initial release raised over £1.25million for the non-profit organisation, and was followed by other charity records including 2002’s ‘1 Love’, 2003’s ‘Hope’, 2005’s ‘Help!: A Day in the Life’ and 2009’s ‘War Child Presents Heroes’.
The new 2026 album was recorded through “a close collaboration with Abbey Road Studios” mostly during one week in November 2025, and is produced and stewarded by James Ford.
Other huge names featured on the album include Anna Calvi, Arlo Parks, Arooj Aftab, Bat For Lashes, Beabadoobee, Beck, Portishead‘s Beth Gibbons, Big Thief, Cameron Winter, Blur’s Graham Coxon, Depeche Mode, Dove Ellis, Wolf Alice‘s Ellie Rowsell, Foals, Greentea Peng, King Krule, Nilüfer Yanya, Olivia Rodrigo, Sampha, The Last Dinner Party, Wet Leg, Young Fathers, and other members of Fontaines D.C.
