War Child (Various Artists) - HELP(2)

Reconvening 30 years after the legendary first ‘Help’ album, War Child once again pulls together a who’s who of the music world around a critical and timely cause, led by storied producer James Ford. An intriguing mix of strikingly fresh covers and affecting originals, the compilation shines brightest when its artists fully commit to the poignance and scale of the cause they represent. 

Bat for Lashes’ ‘Carried My Girl’ is as genuinely heart-wrenching a song as it gets - a chilling tale of loss delivered through an unmissable and deeply sincere vocal performance. “Are you moved by all of these tears / That have swept away the dead?” she asks midway through. Lending their signature “Spanish Sahara”-style sense of anthem-sized drama, Foals bring grandeur with “When the War Is Finally Over”, while Pulp sound as alive and spiky as ever on the urgent, punk- leaning “Begging for Change”.

It’s a constantly compelling proposition. Where Radiohead once stood in 1995 as charismatic, enigmatic and almost disgustingly talented songwriters, in 2026 that mantle most convincingly falls to Geese’s Cameron Winter, who sits comfortably alongside the likes of Damon Albarn, Alex Turner and Beth Gibbons. His unsettling standout ‘Warning’ marries insistent, stabbing strings with his characteristically obscure and evocative lyricism - “Is this the work of your life, or the work of a beginner?”

Among the covers, Depeche Mode take the boldest approach, draping a bubbling, cybergoth energy over Buffy Sainte-Marie’s 1960s protest song ‘Universal Soldier’, a scathing deconstruction of conflict. ‘Obvious’ reveals a delicacy and tenderness from Wet Leg not often seen, while the sheer magnificence of bringing together Anna Calvi, Nilüfer Yanya, Wolf Alice’s Ellie Rowsell and newcomer Dove Ellis results in the beautifully nuanced ‘Sunday Light’.

Perhaps the record’s brightest supernova of star power is ‘Flags’ - uniting Damon Albarn, Grian Chatten and Kae Tempest in a shape-shifting, melancholic centrepiece driven by Albarn’s piano and a choir featuring Johnny Marr, Carl Barât and Dave Okumu. The closer, a cover of ‘The Book of Love’, provides a peaceful and hopeful finale from pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo, the final surprise in a compilation that is far from short on them.

The project’s peaks tend to dominate the landscape, yet for something that sits somewhere between music’s most illustrious meet-up and a bona fide 2020s Hall of Fame, there truly is something here for everyone. It’s heartening to see so many icons step forward for this cause and immensely rewarding to witness such artistry and creativity sharing the spotlight without competing for it. 30 years ago, today and, no doubt, 30 years from now, the message remains clear and universal - no child should ever be part of war. Ever.