Chemikal Underground is an

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...

set up in

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, by rock band

The Delgados The Delgados are a Scottish indie rock band formed in Glasgow in 1994. The band is composed of Alun Woodward (vocals, guitar), Emma Pollock (vocals, guitar), Stewart Henderson (bass guitar), and Paul Savage (drums). Biography The band was f ...

. It was set up to release their first single, "Monica Webster" / "Brand New Car" and went on to break many new Scottish bands in the nineties. When the second Chemikal Underground release by Bis, '' The Secret Vampire Soundtrack EP'' was successful, earning them a slot on ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...

'', the label was able to expand. To date, ''The Secret Vampire Soundtrack'' is the only Top 40 hit released on Chemikal Underground. Further success followed with the debut albums by

Mogwai Mogwai () are a Scottish post-rock band, formed in 1995 in Glasgow. The band consists of Stuart Braithwaite (guitar, vocals), Barry Burns (guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocals), Dominic Aitchison (bass guitar), and Martin Bulloch (drums). Mogwa ...

and

Arab Strap Arab Strap are a Scottish indie rock band whose core members are Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton. The band were signed to independent record label Chemikal Underground, split in 2006 and reformed in 2016. The band signed to Rock Action Reco ...

. Other bands on the Chemikal Underground roster included Magoo,

Aereogramme Aereogramme was a Scottish alternative rock band from Glasgow, formed in 1998, consisting of Craig B. (vocals, guitar), Iain Cook (guitar, programming), Campbell McNeil (bass) and Martin Scott (drums). Prior to their split in 2007, the band ...

Cha Cha Cohen Cha Cha Cohen was a band formed in 1994 by three members of The Wedding Present — Keith Gregory, Paul Dorrington and Simon Smith. After recruiting singer Jacqui Cohen (AKA Jaqi Dulany) from The Dustdevils they released a single, "Spark ...

, Sluts of Trust,

Suckle Suckle may refer to: *Suckling, for mammals, during Lactation **in human babies, Breastfeeding Breastfeeding, also known as nursing, is the process where breast milk is fed to a child. Infants may suck the milk directly from the breast, or ...

, the Radar Brothers and more recently

Mother and the Addicts Mother and The Addicts were a Glasgow-based band signed to Chemikal Underground Records, who formed in 2003. They have released two albums. History Originally inspired by bands like Dr. Feelgood (band), Dr. Feelgood and The Modern Lovers, their ...

and De Rosa, as well as Arab Strap member

Malcolm Middleton Malcolm Bruce Middleton (born 31 December 1973) is a Scottish musician and member of indie band Arab Strap. He has also released seven solo studio albums and three albums performing under the pseudonym Human Don't Be Angry. Early life Middlet ...

's solo work. In 2000, they launched

Fukd ID Fukd ID is an imprint on the Chemikal Underground record label, established to allow them to release a wider range of musical styles from artists who might not necessarily be signed to the label. Notable releases include the first EP from the ...

to release limited edition (1000 each of CD and 12") singles by bands not necessarily on their roster, such as

Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL (abbreviated as ICPO–INTERPOL), commonly known as Interpol ( , ; stylized in allcaps), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime cont ...

( Fukd ID #3).

Artists

Adrian Crowley Adrian Crowley is a singer, composer, songwriter, lyricist from Galway, based in Dublin and was born in Sliema, Malta. Crowley has released eight albums to date, with his debut ''A Strange Kind'' arriving in 1999. He followed this with ''When ...

Aidan Moffat Aidan John Moffat (born 10 April 1973) is a Scottish vocalist and musician, and member of the band Arab Strap. Early life Moffat was born and raised in Falkirk, Scotland. The first album he bought was ''Elvis Sings for Kids'' by Elvis Presley ...

*Aloha Hawaii *Angil & the Hidden Tracks *

*Backwater * Bis *

Broken Chanter Broken Chanter is the stage name of Scottish musician David MacGregor, a moniker he adopted in recognition of his poor attempts as a toddler to play his grandfather's chanter, which led to it being hidden from him. Career Origin and ''Broken C ...

Conquering Animal Sound Conquering Animal Sound is a Glasgow-based electronic duo consisting of Anneke Kampman (vocals/music) and James Scott (music). The band's debut album ''Kammerspiel'' was released in February 2011 on Gizeh Records, and their sophomore "On Floati ...

* De Rosa *

Emma Pollock Emma Pollock (born 20 December 1972) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, musician, and a founding member of the bands The Delgados and The Burns Unit. She is also one of the founders of The Fruit Tree Foundation project and a contributor to ''Vo ...

The Fruit Tree Foundation The Fruit Tree Foundation was a Scottish musical project founded by Idlewild guitarist Rod Jones and former Delgados vocalist and guitarist Emma Pollock in 2010. Created in conjunction with the Mental Health Foundation, the project's overa ...

* Holy Mountain *

Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; ) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault (HBF), often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Central Scotland and the Highlands.Tom Weir. ''The Scottish Lochs''. pp. 33-43. Published by ...

* Magoo *

* Miaoux Miaoux *

*Mount Wilson Repeater *

The Phantom Band The Phantom Band is a Scottish indie rock band based in Glasgow, consisting of Duncan Marquiss (guitar), Gerry Hart (bass), Andy Wake (keyboards), Rick Anthony (vocals and guitar), Iain Stewart (drums) and Greg Sinclair (guitars). They are oft ...

* The Radar Brothers * Rick Redbeard *

RM Hubbert RM Hubbert (Robert McArthur Hubbert, born 12 May 1974 in Glasgow, Scotland), commonly known as Hubby, is a Scottish guitarist and singer. Best known for his solo work as RM Hubbert and as a member of Scottish post rock band El Hombre Trajeado, ...

*Sister Vanilla * Sluts of Trust *Suckle *

The Unwinding Hours The Unwinding Hours was a Scottish alternative rock band formed in 2008 by former Aereogramme members Craig B. and Iain Cook. The band released their self-titled debut album on 15 February 2010 and ''Afterlives'' in 2012, as well as several to ...

* Yatsura *

Zoey Van Goey Zoey Van Goey were an indie pop musical ensemble, band from Glasgow, Scotland, made up of Matt Brennan, Michael John McCarthy, Kim Moore and Adam Scott. Brennan, McCarthy and Moore, hailing from Canada, Ireland and England respectively, form ...

Artists' opinions

Chris Connick from De Rosa stated that:

Chemikal Underground were a huge influence on my musical tastes when I was growing up. It was really exciting to hear bands such as
Mogwai Mogwai () are a Scottish post-rock band, formed in 1995 in Glasgow. The band consists of Stuart Braithwaite (guitar, vocals), Barry Burns (guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocals), Dominic Aitchison (bass guitar), and Martin Bulloch (drums). Mogwa ...
,
The Delgados The Delgados are a Scottish indie rock band formed in Glasgow in 1994. The band is composed of Alun Woodward (vocals, guitar), Emma Pollock (vocals, guitar), Stewart Henderson (bass guitar), and Paul Savage (drums). Biography The band was f ...
and
Arab Strap Arab Strap are a Scottish indie rock band whose core members are Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton. The band were signed to independent record label Chemikal Underground, split in 2006 and reformed in 2016. The band signed to Rock Action Reco ...
, all guys who grew up in the same place as myself, write such amazing music, get played on the radio etc, and do it all off their own back. I hugely admire the members of The Delgados for starting Chemikal and affecting Scottish musical culture in such a positive manner. In fact, it was probably The Delgados that made me want to be in a band, so to have them as your ”boss” is a uniquely warm feeling. To even be considered in the same category as any of the label’s bands is a total honour and I am very proud to be linked to Chemikal Underground’s esteemed heritage.

While Rick Anthony, of

, noted that:

Chemikal Underground have been really pretty good to us so far and they have released some great records over the years - which makes you feel like they know what they are doing, and that they are in it for the right reasons. They all seem like good people as well, and they don’t meddle in the creative side of things at all.

References

External links

Official site
{{Authority control British independent record labels Record labels established in 1994 Alternative rock record labels

Artists

Artists' opinions

See also

References

External links