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Feb 26, 2026 By Mark Redfern Photography by Adama Jalloh (Ezra Collective) and William Spooner (Greentea Peng)

Ezra Collective and Greentea Peng have teamed up for “Helicopters.” It’s the fifth single from HELP(2), the ambitious new charity album to benefit War Child UK. It’s due out March 6 via War Child Records. Below, listen to the song and also watch a behind-the-scenes clip of it being recorded. Plus also below are other behind-the-scenes clips War Child have recently shared featuring English Teacher and Graham Coxon, Beabadoobee, and Young Fathers.

Ezra Collective’s Femi Koleoso had this to say in a press release: “Ezra Collective have enjoyed the beautiful blessing of being able to have access to clean water, education and a conflict free country, allowing us to focus our energy and time into creating music. As a band we truly believe every child in the world deserves this blessing. The opportunity to use music to take a small step in achieving this is a gift and we are truly grateful to War Child not just for allowing us to be a part of this process, but also for all they do to create a better world for children everywhere.”

Greentea Peng had this to say: “‘Helicopters,’ you could say, is a reaction to the lack of action or misaction we have witnessed over the last three years (but in reality, throughout my whole life) in regard to the blatant slaughtering and exploitation of our brothers and sisters around the world. The manipulation, lies, and treachery that the powers that be rain down upon us with absolute impunity. Whilst we gather in the streets to demand our rights and the end to this evil perpetrated in our names, they hover above us in their flying machines, their helicopters, pre-empting chaos, as if we are the ones who need watching, as if we are the ones reaping havoc. From the streets, amidst my peers, gathered in their thousands, I found myself looking up and wondering… if only you were looking in the right direction. That is how these lyrics came to be. The rest is down to my talented brethren of the Ezra Collective. Give thanks.”

Ezra Collective are a British jazz quartet who won the Mercury Prize in 2023 for their 2002 album Where I’m Meant to Be. Their last album was 2004’s Dance, No One’s Watching. Greentea Peng is a British singer/songwriter. Her last album was 2025’s Tell Dem It’s Sunny.

When HELP(2) was announced its first single was shared, a brand new song from Arctic Monkeys, “Opening Night.” It was one of our Songs of the Week.

Then its second single, “Flags,” was a collaboration between Damon Albarn (of Blur and Gorillaz), Grian Chatten (of Fontaines D.C.), and Kae Tempest. It also featured Johnny Marr (The Smiths), Dave Okumu (The Invisible), Adrian Utley (Portishead), Gorillaz’ bassist Seye Adelekan, Femi Koleoso (Ezra Collective), and a 43-piece children’s choir. “Flags” also featured a choir consisting of Marr, Jarvis Cocker (Pulp), Carl Barat (The Libertines), Declan McKenna, Marika Hackman, Rosa Walton (Let’s Eat Grandma), English Teacher, Nadia Kadek, and Black Country, New Road. “Flags” was also one of our Songs of the Week.

HELP(2)’s third single, The Last Dinner Party’s “Let’s Do It Again!,” was also one of our Songs of the Week. Pulp’s contribution, the fourth single, “Begging for Change,” also landed on Songs of the Week the same week.

HELP(2) has a stacked lineup also featuring new tracks by Olivia Rodrigo, Depeche Mode, Big Thief, Wet Leg, Young Fathers, Cameron Winter, Anna Calvi, Ellie Rowsell, Nilüfer Yanya, Fontaines D.C., Beth Gibbons, Beck, Bat For Lashes, English Teacher, and more.

HELP(2) is the spiritual sequel to War Child’s 1995 album HELP, which is regarded as one of the greatest charity albums of all time and featured Radiohead, Portishead, Oasis, Blur, Massive Attack, Suede, Manic Street Preachers, Sinéad O’Connor, Paul McCartney, Paul Weller, and many other notable British artists of the era. Some of those artists return for HELP(2), including Portishead’s Beth Gibbons and Adrian Utley and Blur’s Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon. There have been various other War Child charity albums since HELP, but this one feels closest in scale to the original album.

In demand producer James Ford produced the album, recording it mainly over the course of one week last November at Abbey Road Studios. The original HELP album was famously all recorded in one day at different studios across the globe and released only a week later.

Some of the collaborations run deeper than what’s represented on the tracklist. For example, Olivia Rodrigo’s closing cover of The Magnetic Fields’ “The Book of Love” features Graham Coxon on guitar. Coxon also collaborates with English Teacher on “Parasite.” And the new song “Sunday Light” features Wolf Alice’s Ellie Rowsell, Anna Calvi, Nilüfer Yanya, and Dove Ellis.

War Child UK works to benefit children in war-torn areas and HELP(2) is accompanied by a film put together by Jonathan Glazer, for which children shot behind the scenes footage of the making of the album. It also includes footage shot in Ukraine, Gaza, Yemen, and Sudan.

James Ford had this to say about the album in a previous press release: “I felt incredibly honored when War Child asked me to work on HELP(2). The original HELP meant a lot to me and to have the opportunity, given the current news cycle, to help galvanize our music community into doing something as unarguably positive as helping children in war zones seemed like a no brainer. The experience of making the album itself has been very powerful, and dare I say life affirming for me personally, against the backdrop of a very difficult year. I’m extremely proud of the results and of the efforts made by all involved. I can’t wait for people to hear this very special record. ”

Jonathan Glazer says: “It has been such a privilege to be part of bringing a team together to film this incredible collective effort.”

Rich Clarke, Head of Music at War Child UK, says: “HELP(2) is more than an album. It’s a powerful example of what can happen when the music industry comes together around a shared purpose. It has united a diverse group of artists and creatives in support of War Child’s vital work with children affected by the devastating impacts of war. We are immensely grateful to all the artists and teams who have donated their voices, talent and time to support our mission to ensure that no child is caught up in conflict zones. We hope this record not only raises vital funds, but also awareness of the urgent need to turn compassion into action and do more to protect children living through war.”

Pick up our ’90s Issue print issue to read our in-depth article on the creation of the original HELP album and check out our 2025 Protest Issue for an article on War Child and all the amazing work they do.

Donate directly to War Child UK here or via their U.S. fundraising arm Children in Conflict here.

HELP(2) Tracklist:

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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