Matt Helders talks HELP(2) & Arctic Monkeys' return: “No one’s sick of each other in this band”
29 January 2026, 19:39 | Updated: 29 January 2026, 20:02
Matt Helders talks HELP(2) & Arctic Monkeys' return
The Arctic Monkeys drummer spoke to Radio X's Dan O'Connell about the band's contribution to War Child's HELP(2) album and why their solid relationship means they'll keep coming back together.
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Matt Helders believes there's "no trick" to Arctic Monkeys coming back together.
The Sheffield rockers - completed by Alex Turner, Jamie Cook and Nick O'Malley - returned last week with new track Opening Night, which marks their first new material in four years and the first single for the forthcoming War Child album, HELP(2).
After Helders previously quelled rumours surrounding the status of the band by saying they'd "always" make music together, Radio X's Dan O'Connell quizzed the drummer on what keeps them still wanting to work with each other after all these years.
"I don't think there's necessarily a trick to it, he said. "Like, when we've been talking about the fact that it's 20 years since the first album (Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not) came out, it just doesn’t feel like that. So, I don't feel like it's done or it's like an old thing."
The 39-year old rocker added: "There's the same amount of enthusiasm to spend time with each other, even and I think starting from there is probably a good point. Like, no one's sick of each other in this band. Everyone would be with each other socially or, like, if we're making music.”
"And I think that was a big thing for us from the beginning," mused the sticksman. "That first year or two could have been make or break if we didn't have a solid relationship with each other. So, the fact that that's still there will always bring us back together in one way or another.”
Watch our full interview with Matt Helders above.
Talking about the making of the band's reflective new single and the inspiration behind the track itself, the drummer revealed that some parts of the song came from frontman Alex Turner's previously unfinished ideas.
"I can only speak for my part in it, like lyrically, obviously," he said. "The way Al[ex] does things is sort of it could be reaching from anywhere at any moment, but some of these are some of the parts I recognise from a while ago that are obviously ideas that were flying around his head that we never finished."
Though he may not be able to speak on how exactly the frontman arrived at the song's lyrics, he did say the song was "for the most part, sort of a brand new concept and brand new idea," which sonically "made sense" in terms of where the band had "left off" with their 2022 album The Car.
He went on: "I think, and then musically, it kind of just made sense for where we are now, or, like, you know, where we left off, kind of thing."
Listen to Opening Night below:
Arctic Monkeys – Opening Night (Visualiser) – HELP(2)
The drummer also also revealed the band did consider recording a cover for the charity album at first, but they soon realised they wanted to work on something new.
"I think when the conversation first started, I think we probably thought about cover because they're always fun to do, he recalled to Radio X. "Usually it's like for us, we'll do them live quite a lot, like the odd special occasion, but, then I think it pretty quickly became obvious that we wanted an opportunity to do something new as well."
HELP(2) is available to pre-order here.
Read more:
- What are Arctic Monkeys' biggest songs?
- Matt Helders at 39: Facts about the Arctic Monkeys drummer
- How Chris McClure ended up appearing on the cover of Arctic Monkeys' debut album
The collaborative album - which is released on 6th March 2026 - features contributions from the likes of Damon Albarn, Anna Calvi, Fontaines D.C., Kae Tempest, Pulp and many more.
Quizzed if he'd managed to hear any of the other tracks on the record yet, Helders revealed: "No, actually, I was talking about trying to get some sneak previews the other day, but so far they're running a pretty tight ship.
"Based on the lineup, I'm, really excited to hear all of it," he added, while noting that contributing to the charity record was no hard sell: "There was no one [who] had to get their arm twisted to get involved in this."
The Arabella rocker added: "I think it's obviously important that all these people came together to do this. [...] I think the combination of having an actual good record that was put together by good people... and I think it was pretty obvious to everyone, you know, that it was a good idea."
As for whether the new album might lead to a War Child show with all of the participating artists on the bill? Helders isn't sure, but he feels the album release it would go "hand in hand" with a special live event.
"I mean, there's, there's nothing that I know about at the moment," he admitted. "But I had the same thought that I'm sure the people behind the scenes are thinking about doing something like that again... Like this kind of thing often comes hand in hand with some special occasion, but nothing that I know about at the moment."
War Child UK confirm HELP(2): tracklist, release date & artists working on the charity album
HELP(2) is available to pre-order here.
HELP(2) "carries forward the spirit" of the original HELP (1995) album and includes contributions from 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.
Brought to life through a close collaboration with Abbey Road Studios, HELP(2) was recorded predominantly across one week in November 2025 and formed under the stewardship of acclaimed producer James Ford.
In addition to the musicians taking part, renowned filmmaker and Academy Award Winner Jonathan Glazer acted as Creative Director for HELP(2), working with Academy Films to oversee filming and art direction for the project.
A press release reads: "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 endeavor 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".
See the artwork for HELP(2) above and pre-order the album at https://store.warchild.org.uk/pages/sign-up.
See the full HELP (2) tracklist here:
- 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
HELP(2) is available to pre-order here.
HELP(2) - Album Trailer - War Child Records
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.
HELP(2) is available to pre-order here.
Read more:
- Arctic Monkeys on The Car album: "We're still listening to the same instinct we were in 2005"
- The story of Arctic Monkeys' When The Sun Goes Down and why it's the band's bleakest song to date
