The Delgados: unwitting founders of the behemoth that became Chemikal Underground, our aspirations for the label when we started out were modest but ambitious all the same. That the label continues to release great music after *hard swallow* twenty seven years is a real source of pride, even if it is tempered with considerable disbelief.
Anyway, The Delgados. Formed in 1994; launched Chemikal Underground with ‘Monica Webster/Brand New Car’ (CHEM001) in February 1995; released five studio albums: ‘Domestiques’ (1996), ‘Peloton’ (1998), ‘The Great Eastern’ (2000), ‘Hate’ (2002 – on Mantra Recordings) and ‘Universal Audio’ (2004); disbanded in 2005; released a 2CD of The Complete BBC Peel Sessions (2006).
We got a Mercury nomination in 2000 for ‘The Great Eastern’ and beyond that, spent an unbroken period of eleven years having the time of our lives on tour, falling out in the rehearsal room/recording studio and generally having Chemikal Underground-related nervous breakdowns for all the waking minutes in between.
The Delgados announced they were to reform in mid 2022 and played their first live shows in over eighteen years with a run of 5 UK dates in January 2023.
Their 4th album ‘Hate’ has now been reissued on Chemikal Underground.
See this news story for more details.
Press Coverage
“The Delgados were one of the UK’s most consistently excellent bands” BBC
“Their songs mixed indie with bittersweet, 1960’s pop sensibilities and lyrics rooted in Britain’s underclass“ The Guardian
“A consistently idiosyncratic troupe as bold and deserving of your love as the likes of The Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev; The Delgados deserve a place in anti-pop royalty“ The Scotsman
“Rougher than Belle and Sebastian and lovelier than Mogwai, The Delgados craft orchestral manoeuvres in the dark that leave bruises“ Spin Magazine
“The Delgados secret weapon, from their early noise-pop days to their big breakthrough, has always been a peculiarly Scottish penchant for resigned, anthemic melodies“ Pitchfork