Opening Night ‘a lot of fun to record’

Arctic Monkeys’ drummer has said making music together is something the band “will always do” after rumours swirled that their latest song would be their last.

The rock group released Opening Night, their first new song since 2022 album The Car, as part of a new charity album last week.

Matt Helders told BBC Radio 1’s New Music Show it was an “easy yes” when the band was asked to join.

He said there were no imminent plans to get back into the recording studio, but ruled nothing out and said making music was “something we love to do”.

Opening Night appears on Help(2), a compilation featuring more than 30 artists including Olivia Rodrigo, Wet Leg and The Last Dinner Party.

Released on 6 March, the project will raise funds for War Child – a charity set up to help children living through war.

“Everyone agrees that kids shouldn’t be in a situation like that,” Matt told DJ Jack Saunders.

“Our enthusiam to be involved in this album was at an all-time high.

“It was an opportunity for us to do a new song and get back together for the first time in a couple of years and see if we could still do it.”

The Sheffield band have built up a devoted following since they released debut album Whatever People I Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not in 2006.

It became the UK’s fastest-selling debut of all time, and the four-piece went on to release a string of number one albums.

Matt and his bandmates, singer Alex Turner, guitarist Jamie Cook and bassist Nick O’Malley were behind 2007’s Favourite Worst Nightmare, 2011’s Suck It And See and 2013’s AM.

Their last release, The Car, climbed to number two in the UK album charts.

Asked whether they needed a reason to get back to writing music, Matt told the New Music Show he didn’t feel there needed to be one.

He said the studio was the band’s “happy place” and somewhere “it feels natural” for them to be.

He said “time will tell” if this latest project inspires them to create more music.

“I think we went into this knowing it was a one-off,” he said.

“But then, having done it, we probably went away feeling like we just had a lot of fun making this record.

“There’s no conversations about it, but it’s definitely something we love to do and we’ll always do.”

Arctic Monkeys superfan Robbie Lees, who makes social media content about the band, says he hopes this inspires the band to work on new music again.

“Maybe that’s the little spark they needed to get back in the studio and think longer-term,” the 26-year-old tells BBC Newsbeat.

“As a fan, that makes me very, very happy to hear that he calls it his happy place and it’s brought them back together after going off and doing their (own) things for a bit.”

Fellow fan Gracie Eccles, 22, tells Newsbeat that hearing that the band are not hanging up their guitars is “music to my ears” following speculation online the new song could be their last hurrah.

“I think it’s incredible to see my favourite artists supporting a cause like War Child and seeing how they came back for this cause,” she says.

“It just says a lot more about the band, I think, it’s not just about the music for them.”