Arctic Monkeys are back in business, with new music on the way later this week.
The legendary Sheffield indie group have been largely silent (as usual) since the release of their last album, The Car, back in 2022.
But today, War Child has confirmed that the Alex Turner-fronted group are coming back with a new song, in support of the charity's upcoming project to provide aid for children living through war.
Arctic Monkeys are the first to be announced for the new War Child Records project, but if you leap to some conclusions based on who the new account is following, there are set to be some BIG names involved.
As well as Arctic Monkeys, War Child Records is also following 32 artists including Fontaines DC, Olivia Rodrigo, Wet Leg, Foals, Damon Albarn, Pulp, Depeche Mode, English Teacher, and Beck - to name just a few.
Based on this afternoon's teaser announcement, the new Arctic Monkeys single will be live at 3pm on Thursday 22 January.
War Child has said: "There is a group of artists who are working on something important in support of War Child. There will be more information coming soon.
"No child should be part of war. Ever. For over 30 years, War Child has worked in some of the world's most dangerous places to protect, educate, support mental health and stand up for the rights of children.
"Today our challenge is bigger than ever.
"When the legendary HELP album was released in 1995, 10% of the world's children were affected by conflict.
"That figure has almost doubled to 19%, affecting 520 million children. Right now, 1 in 5 children worldwide are at risk of losing their childhoods to conflict.
"Help us support children to heal and grow for a safer, brighter future. Donate and sign up to hear more news about forthcoming music releases."
You can sign up for the latest War Child Records announcements HERE.
Rock N Roll Circus has announced Wunderhorse as the Saturday headliners for its 2026 Sheffield edition.
It marks another incredible statement show for the festival, hot on the heels of Queens of the Stone Age’s only outdoor UK headline performance in 2025.
The performance will be one of only two outdoor UK shows by Wunderhorse this year and the only one outside of London, making it a pretty big deal for us northern fans.
The announcement completes pretty unbeatable trio of headliners for Rock N Roll Circus Sheffield, alongside The Streets and Richard Ashcroft.
Images: The Sheff
Wunderhorse will headline on Saturday 29 August, with Baxter Dury confirmed as main support, alongside British rock group and Mercury Prize winners English Teacher and indie group Fat Dog also confirmed.
The full Rock N Roll Circus Sheffield 2026 headline programme now sees The Streets performing A Grand Don’t Come For Free in full on Friday, Wunderhorse headlining Saturday, and Richard Ashcroft closing the weekend on Sunday, supported by The Fratellis and Cast.
Festival Director Ali O’Reilly said: “Wunderhorse are one of the most exciting British bands to emerge in recent years, and bringing one of their only outdoor UK shows to Sheffield feels incredibly significant.
We are huge fans of the band and tried really hard to get them over the line. We’re also super excited about the line-up. Our programming has always been about championing artists who are shaping the future of live music and giving audiences outside of London access to truly special shows.”
Rock N Roll Circus Sheffield returns to Don Valley Bowl from Friday 28 to Sunday 30 August 2026.
Pre-sale starts on Wednesday 4 February with general sale just a couple days later on Friday 6 February, you can find out more about tickets here.
Arctic Monkeys release first song in four years as part of upcoming all-star War Child album
Clementine Hall
The full track list for the charity album has been released, featuring Fontaines D.C., Pulp, Olivia Rodrigo and loads more.
The legendary Sheffield indie group have been largely silent (as usual) since the release of their last album, The Car, back in 2022.
But today, the monkeys are back with a brand new song titled 'Opening Night' , in support of War Child's upcoming project to provide aid for children living through war.
That project being 'HELP(2)' - a brand new collaborative album inspired by the landmark 1995 release 'HELP' to engage music lovers globally in support of the charity's vital work.
The new album will be released on Friday 6 March and was brought to life through close collaboration with Abbey Road Studios, recorded predominantly across one extraordinary week in November 2025 under the stewardship of acclaimed producer James Ford.
There's so me pretty huge names on the album who have contributed, including Fontaines D.C, Pulp, Damon Albarn, Wet Leg, Young Fathers and so many more.
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.
The full track list to the album is: ‘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
You can pre-order the album here and listen to the new song by the Arctic Monkeys here.
Daisy Jackson -
20th January 2026 
