War Child U.K. has officially kicked off the 10th edition of its Secret 7″ record auction, featuring 700 sleeves designed by world-renowned artists and tracks from John Lennon, the Last Dinner Party, Glass Animals and more.
Each record contains a mystery song printed onto 7″ vinyl, packaged inside a sleeve designed using the music as inspiration. Both the song and the artist behind the sleeve are entirely secret until the winning bidder receives their record. The auction is live now, and all proceeds support War Child’s work delivering mental health support, immediate aid, education and protection to the world’s most vulnerable children.
The songs in this year’s auction include John Lennon’s “Out the Blue”; The Last Dinner Party’s “Let’s Do It Again!,” which was released as part of War Child’s “Help(2)” compilation earlier this year; Gabrielle’s “Out of Reach”; The Maccabee’s “No Kind Words”; Skin’s “Purple”; Glass Animals’ “Take a Slice”; and Bastille’s “Hope for the Future.”
Among the artists who submitted sleeve designs are ceramist, researcher and curator Clare Twomey MBE; French artist and muralist Thierry Noir, known for his Berlin Wall artwork; British Sri Lankan multi-disciplinary artist Murugiah; British Congolese visual artist Joy Yamusangie; interior designer Ben Kelly, the Maccabees frontman Orlando Weeks; the Connor Brothers artists Mike Snelle and James Golding; Suede founding member Justine Frischmann, who went on to become a visual artist; painter and sculptor Ken Nwadiogbu; Welsh artist Pete Fowler, known for his work for the band Super Furry Animals; The Cure album cover designer Andy Vella; and more.
The sleeves are on display now in an exhibition at London’s 180 Studios through Aug. 30, with the online auction running through Sept. 2.
“Secret 7″ continues to demonstrate the powerful role that creativity can play in driving positive change, even in some of the most dangerous parts of the world, and we’re hugely grateful to the exceptional artists who have contributed their talent to this year’s campaign,” said War Child’s fundraising and engagement director Charlotte Nimmo. “Once again, we have some incredible artists — both visual and musical — helping to shine a spotlight on War Child’s mission to protect, educate and stand up for the rights of children affected by conflict. We’re looking forward to welcoming visitors to the exhibition this August, celebrating the intersection of art and activism.”

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