Celebrate the UK's independent record shops

HELP(2), a brand-new collaborative album inspired by the landmark 1995 release HELP, will be released on Friday 6th March via Record Store Day's official charity partner, War Child Records. The album is available to buy at independent record shops across the UK, giving fans the chance to support their local stores while contributing to War Child’s vital work delivering immediate aid, education, specialist mental health support, and protection to children affected by conflict. Like the original, HELP(2) responds to the urgency of today’s humanitarian crises. Recorded predominantly across a single extraordinary week at Abbey Road Studios in November 2025, the project was brought to life under the guidance of acclaimed producer James Ford. HELP(2) features a stellar lineup 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. The collaborative recording process mirrors the spirit of the original album, with impromptu moments and one-take sessions throughout. Damon Albarn recorded Flags alongside Johnny Marr and Kae Tempest and Grian Chatten, while Olivia Rodrigo worked with Graham Coxon on The Book of Love. Renowned filmmaker Jonathan Glazer acted as Creative Director, working with Academy Films and his team to allow children to film inside the studios, as well as gathering footage from Ukraine, Gaza, Yemen, and Sudan. This approach connects the album to the children the music aims to support, reflecting the project’s guiding concept: “By Children, For Children.” The original HELP album, led by Brian Eno, was recorded in a single day in 1995 and raised over £1.2 million, providing essential support to children affected by the Bosnian conflict. Today, nearly one in five children globally – over 520 million – are affected by conflict, making War Child’s work more urgent than ever. Pick up HELP(2) at your local indie record shop — support your store and contribute to this vital cause.

Behind the Counter returns for a seventh season with a brand-new 12-part video series, presented by Record Store Day and Classic Album Sundays in collaboration with Bowers & Wilkins, spotlighting inspirational independent record shops and the communities that sustain them across the UK. Following a previous season that reached over 5.6 million viewers, Behind the Counter enters its latest series as one of the largest-reaching and longest-running projects dedicated to UK record shop culture. Each episode offers an intimate look inside a different independent store, exploring how shop owners, staff, and customers continue to shape local music scenes and keep physical formats thriving. This year’s journey spans the length and breadth of the UK, featuring twelve distinctive record shops, each with its own identity and loyal following. · A Slice of Vinyl, Gosport · Applestump Records, Cheshire · Black City Records, Bristol · Carnival Records, Great Malvern · Farland Records, Penzance · Monorail Music, Glasgow · Roan Records, London · Saturnalia, Faversham · Underground Solution, Edinburgh · Vinyl Fetishes, Manchester · Vinyl Guru, Newcastle · Wrecking Ball, Hull From championing underground genres to acting as social spaces and cultural anchors, the series reveals a shared belief in the enduring power of records and the people who sell, collect and cherish them. New episodes will premiere every Tuesday at 10 AM GMT on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X (Twitter), and YouTube, in the lead up to Record Store Day which takes place on Saturday 18 th April.