Matt Helders on Arctic Monkeys: “No one’s sick of each other in this band”
Matt Helders has again clarified that Arctic Monkeys are going nowhere, stating they are yet to become “sick of each other” despite being more than 20 years in.
Earlier this month, Arctic Monkeys made their return with the charity single ‘Opening Night’ in support of the upcoming War Child compilation, Help (2), which is set to arrive in March.
The new song marks the first release from the band in almost four years since The Car in 2022, and while Helders has been doing the rounds on radio to promote the track, he’s made it clear that Arctic Monkeys are far from finished.
Earlier this week, during a conversation on BBC Radio 1, he said about the prospect of making new music in the future, “There are no conversations about it, but it’s definitely something we love to do and we’ll always do.”
Then, on January 29th, Helders appeared on The Evening Show with Dan O’Connell on Radio X and spoke at length about their longevity following the recent 20th anniversary of their debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not.
He explained, “I don’t think there’s necessarily a trick to it. Like, when we’ve been talking about the fact that it’s 20 years since the first album 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.”
Helders continued, “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.”
He also said of the tight bond between the bandmates, “And I think that was a big thing for us from the beginning. Like, 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.”
During the same interview, Helders revealed that Arctic Monkeys did initially consider contributing a cover for the new War Child compilation, but explained that it “pretty quickly became obvious that we wanted an opportunity to do something new as well”.
Help (2) is set for release on March 6th, 2026. It also features Damon Albarn, Fontaines DC, Big Thief, Oliva Rodrigo, Wet Leg, The Last Dinner Party, Cameron Winter, Pulp, Depeche Mode, Ezra Collective, English Teacher, Anna Calvi, King Krule, and many more.
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