Chemikal Underground
Chemikal Underground is an independent record label set up in 1994 at Glasgow, Scotland, by rock band The Delgados. 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, the label was able to expand.
Chemikal Underground
- Name
- Chemikal Underground
- Founded
- 1994
- Headquarters
- Glasgow
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Chemikal Underground is an independent record label set up in 1994 at Glasgow, Scotland, by rock band The Delgados. 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, the label was able to expand.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Chemikal Underground. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q2371991 · wikipedia · Chemikal Underground
In this article
Overview
Overview
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 and Arab Strap. Other bands on the Chemikal Underground roster included Magoo, Aereogramme, Cha Cha Cohen, Sluts of Trust, Suckle, the Radar Brothers and more recently Mother and the Addicts and De Rosa, as well as Arab Strap member Malcolm Middleton's solo work. In 2000, they launched Fukd ID to release limited edition (1000 each of CD and 12") singles by bands not necessarily on their roster, such as Interpol (Fukd ID #3).
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Chemikal Underground • Founded — 1994 • Founder — The Delgados • Genre — Post-rock Post punk revival • Country — Scotland • Location — Glasgow • Url — http: www.chemikal.co.uk
Artists
Artists
• Adrian Crowley • Aereogramme • Aidan Moffat • Aloha Hawaii • Angil & the Hidden Tracks • Arab Strap • Backwater • Bis • Broken Chanter • Cha Cha Cohen • Conquering Animal Sound • De Rosa • The Delgados • Emma Pollock • The Fruit Tree Foundation • Holy Mountain • Loch Lomond • Magoo • Malcolm Middleton • Miaoux Miaoux • Mogwai • Mother and the Addicts • Mount Wilson Repeater • The Phantom Band • The Radar Brothers • Rick Redbeard • RM Hubbert • Sister Vanilla • Sluts of Trust • Suckle • The Unwinding Hours • Yatsura • Zoey Van Goey
Artists' opinions
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, The Delgados and Arab Strap, 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 The Phantom Band, 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.
Institutional history
Dated record
Institutional history
The full dated record · 2 entries
1994
Chemikal Underground established.
1994
Chemikal Underground is recorded from 1994.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- United Kingdom
Named but not plotted · 1
Chemikal Underground is associated with United Kingdom.
Country
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Music memorabilia
42,934 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Chelsea WolfePerson
- Chelsia ChanPerson
- Chely WrightPerson
- Chema PurónPerson
- ChemoPerson
- Chen GangPerson
- Chen GexinPerson
- Chen Hsin-hungPerson
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own an object connected with Chemikal Underground?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.