War Child Records today release ‘Helicopters’ by Ezra Collective & Greentea Peng – taken from the highly anticipated forthcoming HELP(2) album.
You can listen to ‘Helicopters’ HERE.
Ezra Collective & Greentea Peng – ‘Helicopters’ (Visualiser) – HELP(2)
Ezra Collective & Greentea Peng – HELP(2) Recording Session
Produced by Ezra Collective and mixed by David Wrench, the group join forces with Greentea Peng for a commanding collaboration that seamlessly fuses their distinct sonic identities. Driven by a hypnotic bassline and deep dub textures, the track pairs rich instrumentation with sharp, reflective lyricism. It confronts the weight of modern-day oppression – touching on the growing presence of surveillance across the UK – before ultimately pivoting toward a message of unity and peace at home and beyond.
Fresh from their 2023 triumph at the Mercury Prize, Ezra Collective continue to elevate their status, cementing their place as one of the UK’s most vital and forward-thinking jazz acts. They recently joined Fred again.. at his sold-out USB002 residency at London’s Alexandra Palace.
“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.” – Femi Koleoso of Ezra Collective
“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.” – Greentea Peng
‘Helicopters’ follows recent releases taken from the HELP(2) record, including ‘Opening Night’ by Arctic Monkeys, ‘Flags’ by Damon Albarn, Grian Chatten & Kae Tempest, ‘Let’s Do It Again!’ by The Last Dinner Party, and ‘Begging For Change’ by Pulp.
HELP(2) is a brand new collaborative album inspired by the landmark 1995 release HELP to engage music lovers globally in support of War Child‘s vital work delivering immediate aid, education, specialist mental health support, and protection to children affected by conflict around the world. The new album, like the original, speaks to the urgency of the humanitarian situation globally today.
HELP(2) will be released on Friday 6th March via War Child Records. You can pre-order the album HERE.
HELP(2) carries forward the spirit of the original HELP album and was brought to life through a close collaboration with Abbey Road Studios, recorded predominantly across one extraordinary week in November 2025 under the stewardship of acclaimed producer James Ford.
HELP(2) features an incredible line-up of contributors including Anna Calvi, Arctic Monkeys, Arlo Parks, Arooj Aftab, Bat For Lashes, Beabadoobee, Beck, Beth Gibbons, Big Thief, Black Country, New Road, Cameron Winter, Damon Albarn, Depeche Mode, Dove Ellis, Ellie Rowsell, English Teacher, Ezra Collective, Foals, Fontaines D.C., Graham Coxon, Greentea Peng, Grian Chatten, Kae Tempest, King Krule, Nilüfer Yanya, Olivia Rodrigo, Pulp, Sampha, The Last Dinner Party, Wet Leg and Young Fathers. You can find the full HELP(2) tracklist below.
The spirit of the original record was reflected in the collaborative nature of the recording process with numerous impromptu moments unfolding in the studio. Damon Albarn‘s session for ‘Flags’ saw him joined by Johnny Marr on guitar and Kae Tempest and Grian Chatten of Fontaines D.C. on vocals; and Olivia Rodrigo was connected with Graham Coxon resulting in the guitarist performing on her cover of ‘The Book of Love’.
In addition to the stellar cast of musicians involved, renowned filmmaker and Academy Award Winner Jonathan Glazer acted as Creative Director for HELP(2), working with Academy Films to assemble a team of brilliant creatives and overseeing the filming and art direction for the project. Glazer and Mica Levi’s concept was simple – “By Children, For Children” – with his team handing the cameras over to children in order to see the world through their eyes and serve as a constant reminder of the reason for the endeavour to the audience and all involved.
Each child operated their own small camera and was invited into the studios to film the artists recording without any restrictions. In addition, Glazer’s team worked with fixers and filmmakers in Ukraine, Gaza, Yemen and Sudan to gather footage filmed by children on the ground in these conflict zones. The results are a stunning piece of work that, ultimately, connects the album to the children the music seeks to help.
Watch the trailer for HELP(2) below
Recorded in a single day in 1995, the original HELP album raised over £1.2 million, enabling War Child to provide vital support to thousands of children caught in the Bosnian conflict.
However, when HELP was first released, around 10% of the world’s children were affected by conflict. Today, that figure has almost doubled to nearly 1 in 5, or 520 million children worldwide; more than at any time since the Second World War. With conflicts escalating and funding cuts hitting hard, War Child’s work has never been more urgent and the need for these artists to carry forward the original album’s spirit of collective action could not be more vital.
“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.” – Rich Clarke, Head of Music at War Child UK
War Child is driven by a single goal – ensuring a safe future for every child affected by war. Using 30 years of experience and proven methodologies, War Child aims to reach children as quickly as possible when conflict breaks out and stays long after the cameras have gone to support them through their recovery.
Together with its partners, War Child delivers vital work in 14 countries across the globe, including Sudan, Gaza, Ukraine, Syria, and more. Every day, its local teams are in communities and refugee camps creating safe spaces for children to play, learn, and access psychological support. War Child also specialises in responding rapidly to emergency crisis situations as they happen, offering immediate and critical aid impartially to keep children safe and help them through their trauma.
Led by Brian Eno, the original HELP album has become one of the most celebrated charity records ever made, featuring contributions from Oasis, Blur, Radiohead, Massive Attack, Portishead, Sinéad O’Connor, Paul McCartney, Paul Weller and more.
The story behind the record and its recording is now legend: all of the songs were recorded on one single day, Monday 4th September 1995, mixed the following day, and released to the buying public a few days later, on Saturday 9th September. The idea to record in 24 hours came from John Lennon, who, when discussing his 1970 record Instant Karma said that records should be like newspapers, reflecting events as they are happening.
HELP sold over 70,000 copies on day one and reached number one in the UK compilation charts and would have reached number one on the UK albums chart had it been eligible. Following its release, the record won both a specially created BRIT Award, collected by Thom Yorke, and a Q Award to recognise its impact.
HELP captured a defining cultural moment and, nearly three decades on, its unparalleled influence continues to resonate with a globally-conscious generation of listeners.
No child should be a part of war. Ever.
HELP(2)
Tracklist:
- Arctic Monkeys – Opening Night
- Damon Albarn, Grian Chatten & Kae Tempest – Flags
- Black Country, New Road – Strangers
- The Last Dinner Party – Let’s Do It Again!
- Beth Gibbons – Sunday Morning
- Arooj Aftab & Beck – Lilac Wine
- King Krule – The 343 Loop
- Depeche Mode – Universal Soldier
- Ezra Collective & Greentea Peng – Helicopters
- Arlo Parks – Nothing I Could Hide
- English Teacher & Graham Coxon – Parasite
- Beabadoobee – Say Yes
- Big Thief – Relive, Redie
- Fontaines D.C. – Black Boys on Mopeds
- Cameron Winter – Warning
- Young Fathers – Don’t Fight the Young
- Pulp – Begging for Change
- Sampha – Naboo
- Wet Leg – Obvious
- Foals – When the War is Finally Done
- Bat For Lashes – Carried my girl
- Anna Calvi, Ellie Rowsell, Nilüfer Yanya & Dove Ellis – Sunday Light
- Olivia Rodrigo – The Book of Love
War Child Records / Instagram / War Child UK
About War Child UK
War Child UK is driven by a single goal – ensuring a safe future for every child affected by war.
Using 30 years of experience and proven methodologies, War Child aims to reach children as quickly as possible when conflict breaks out and stays long after the cameras have gone to support them through their recovery.
War Child works with local communities and governments to help protect and educate children, and support them to heal and learn, for a safer, brighter future. Because one child caught up in conflict is one child too many.
War Child understands children’s needs, respects and stands up for their rights, and puts them at the centre of everything it does. War Child boldly campaigns on the root causes of conflict and helps to amplify children’s voices, so that it can advocate for change on the issues that matter to them.
Together with its partners, War Child delivers vital work in 14 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America.
Every day, its local teams are in communities and refugee camps creating safe spaces for children to play, learn, and access psychological support. War Child also specialises in responding rapidly to emergency crisis situations as they happen, offering immediate and critical aid impartially to keep children safe and help them through their trauma.War Child UK is a member of the War Child Alliance, a global foundation made up of five fundraising offices and 14 programme offices. In the US, the War Child Alliance operates under ‘Children in Conflict’.
