Chemikal Underground

The Hot 100 2010 - Mark Millar, Kevin Bridges and Alasdair Gray take top 3 spots

Our annual chart of the people from Scotland being interesting, successful and creative

16 Dec 2010

The Hot 100 is a list of Scots who’ve made a sizeable creative splash in 2010. It includes musicians, artists, writers, actors, fashion designers, technological innovators, shop owners, festival directors, record label heads and one mad cyclist.

Loch Lomond, Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, Sat 10 Mar 2012

Bewitching chamber folk from Portland

3 Apr 2012

For those of you wondering how the vaguely surreal, harmonic and orchestral notes of Portland’s Loch Lomond might translate to a live setting, the first minutes of their Sneaky Pete’s show would give you a fairly accurate answer: with a bold and…

King’s Daughters & Sons - If Then Not When

Glorious pastoral folk-rock debut from alt-rock super-group on Chemikal Underground

9 Nov 2011

(Chemikal Underground) Not many alt-rock super-groups would simultaneously align themselves with William Faulkner and Led Zeppelin, but then Louisville, Kentucky’s King’s Daughters & Sons are no ordinary band. Formed by members of post-rock…

An open letter from Scottish record labels

Chemikal Underground, Rock Action and Soma on the PIAS warehouse fire

19 Aug 2011

As London faced its worst rioting in recent history, the repercussions resonated far and wide, a fire at the PIAS warehouse annihilating stock, and ultimately affecting some of Scotland’s most important independent labels. Here Chemikal Underground…

Chem19 recording studio launch sound engineering course

Creative Scotland-backed scheme for 18 to 25-year-olds

10 Aug 2011

With the backing of Creative Scotland, the Blantyre-based Chem19 music studio is offering a brand new ten-month course for aspiring young engineers. Emma Pollock, one of the founders of the studio’s parent Chemikal Underground label, explains why it’s…

Music industry seminar Wide Days 2011 features top speakers

Showcase sets from Withered Hand, Capitals and Rachel Sermanni

5 Apr 2011

Following its successful launch in 2010, the organisers behind Scotland's Born To Be Wide return to the capital on the 7th April 2011 with their jam-packed A&R seminar Wide Days, featuring a tasty programme of panels and workshops by day and selective…

Edinburgh art-poppers Found release album Factorycraft

Third album is trio's first on Chemikal Underground

3 Mar 2011

‘We were all a bit jealous of Cybraphon,’ laughs Tommy Perman. FOUND’s bassist and synth player is talking about their ‘autonomous emotional robot band’ project that went on to win them a BAFTA in 2009. And the more it spread like wildfire on the…

Autumn highlights: The best albums and gigs from Scottish bands

The Phantom Band, The Twilight Sad and Errors set for action

16 Sep 2010

The Phantom Band Chemikal Underground’s finest, most eclectic and most likely signings of recent years return with the follow-up to last year’s debut Checkmate Savage. The Wants is released on Chemikal Underground, Mon 18 Oct. The Scottish…

The Unwinding Hours - The Unwinding Hours

27 Jan 2010

(Chemikal Underground) One of Glasgow label Chemikal Underground’s best-loved bands is resurrected, after a fashion, in The Unwinding Hours, the new project from Craig B and Iain Cook of Aereogramme. Where the pair’s old group were unafraid of being…

Chemikal Underground in Celtic Connections showcase

20 Jan 2010

Celtic Connections throw another leftfield curve ball with this showcase from Glasgow independent record label Chemikal Underground, and featuring a line-up of quirky indie with a folky bent in the shape of The Phantom Band, The Unwinding Hours, Lord…

Alasdair Roberts, The Low Anthem and Buffy Sainte-Marie set for Celtic Connections

7 Jan 2010

With Alasdair Roberts, The Low Anthem and Buffy Sainte-Marie all featuring, the Celtic Connections festival just keeps going from strength to strength, says Ninian Dunnett

Labels of love: Chemikal Underground

4 Dec 2009

Based in: Glasgow. Roster: The Phantom Band, Lord Cut-Glass, Emma Pollock, The Unwinding Hours, Adrian Crowley, Zoey Van Goey, Aidan Moffat, Angil and the Hiddentracks, The Radar Brothers. Bosses: Set up in 1995 by the four members of…

Angil and the Hiddntracks, Aidan Moffat and De Rosa

16 Oct 2008

INDIE Chemikal Underground is best known for a generation of great bands who have now mostly split up or moved on, so fresh blood is needed. Tonight’s showcase presents suggests where the label goes next. First on, Martin of De Rosa previews new…

Sounds Film Festival comes to Glasgow

8 Sep 2008

Glasgow's West End is to host a brand new cultural festival to celebrate the city's love of film and buzzing music scene. The inaugural Sounds Film Festival, in association with music venue ABC, will feature various screenings and live performances…

The Phantom Band

8 May 2008

ROCK Is This Music? @ 13th Note, Glasgow, Thu 17 Apr Back in early 2005, few people were shouting about Mother and the Addicts, ditto De Rosa in early 2006, yet both of these bands went on to promptly release cracking debut albums through Chemikal…

Tennent's Mutual promises a more inclusive approach for Scots music fans

24 Apr 2008

Following the announcement that this year’s Triptych festival will be the last, Tennent’s lager has revealed its latest venture, The Tennent’s Mutual. In a move to make music fans active participants in the all-new project, interested parties will…

Chemikal Underground’s Virtual Doors Open for Business

28 Feb 2008

Chemikal Underground’s virtual doors are now open for business. A work in progress since 2006, the record label’s online shop promises good prices on back catalogue CDs and vinyl, as well as an array of downloads and merchandise. Check out…

Hitlist - the best Festival music

16 Aug 2007

Thomas Truax and Paul Vickers & The Leg American eccentric Truax, who does his own one man pop thing, is unequal parts Syd Barrett, Aphex Twin, Frank Sidebottom and Frank Zappa. A real trip. Underbelly, 0870 745 3083, 22 Aug, 9pm, £8. Tom Tom Club…