The Delgados was a Scottish indie rock band formed in Glasgow in 1994. The band was composed of Alun Woodward (vocals, guitar), Emma Pollock (vocals, guitar), Stewart Henderson (bass guitar), and Paul Savage (drums). The song "Under Canvas, Under Wraps" being voted number three in John Peel's Festive Fifty that year.

The band released their second studio album in 1998, Peloton – another cycling reference. The single "Pull the Wires from the Wall" gave the Delgados their first charting single in the UK Singles Chart, reaching number 69. The band's close relationship with Peel continued, with "Pull the Wires from the Wall" voted to number one in the Festive Fifty (it would also make the all time chart made in 2000).

The Delgados' evolution continued with The Great Eastern in 2000. The record was produced by Dave Fridmann. Their next single, "American Trilogy", reached number 61 in the UK chart.

Their fourth studio album, Hate, was released on Mantra rather than the band's own label. The song "The Light Before We Land" was used as the opening theme for the Japanese anime series Gunslinger Girl, while the song "Woke from Dreaming" is played at the beginning of episode 7.

The band returned to their own label for their fifth and final studio album Universal Audio (2004).

The band announced they were splitting up in April 2005 due to the departure of Henderson who found it difficult "to pour so much of my energy and time into something that never quite seemed to get the attention or respect [he] felt it deserved." The four will continue to run Chemikal Underground together. Songwriters Pollock and Woodward are pursuing individual projects, while Savage will continue production duties at the band's Chem19 in a new studio.

Since the band's separation, the track "I Fought the Angels" from Universal Audio has been used in the fourth episode in the second season of the Golden Globe Award-winning medical drama Grey's Anatomy in 2006, and in the opening scene in the series premiere of BBC Three's Lip Service in 2010.

A double disc containing 29 tracks, The Complete BBC Peel Sessions, was released on 12 June 2006 in Europe, and later in the year in the United States. Woodward released his debut solo studio album in June 2009 under the name Lord Cut-Glass. Savage also played on the album.

In June 2022, the band announced that they had reformed and would play together for the first time in 17 years. A UK tour of five gigs, ending in their home city of Glasgow, is scheduled for January 2023. Further dates for festivals were later confirmed, including Primavera Sound (Spain) and Deer Shed (England). Following this tour, there were no further announcements but the description for Emma Pollock's solo tour in 2025 described her as a 'former member' of The Delgados, indicating that the band had gone their separate ways once again.As of 2026, her official website, which presents her as a solo artist, confirms the claim of the disbandment.

Discography

Studio albums

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|-

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:12em;"| Title

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:22em;"| Album details

! scope="col" colspan="3"| Peak chart positions

|-

! style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| SCO<br>

! style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| UK<br>

! style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| UK<br><small>Indie</small><br>

|-

! scope="row"| Domestiques

|

  • Released: 28 October 1996
  • Label: Chemikal Underground <small>(CHEM009)</small>
  • Formats: LP, CD, Download

| 97 || – || –

|-

! scope="row"| Peloton

|

  • Released: 8 June 1998
  • Label: Chemikal Underground <small>(CHEM024)</small>
  • Formats: LP, CD, Download

| 52 || 56 || 6

|-

! scope="row"| The Great Eastern

|

  • Released: 17 April 2000
  • Label: Chemikal Underground <small>(CHEM040)</small>
  • Formats: LP, CD, Download

| 31 || 72 || 12

|-

! scope="row"| Hate

|

  • Released: 14 October 2002
  • Label: Mantra <small>(MNT1031)</small>
  • Formats: LP, CD

| 27 || 57 || 5

|-

! scope="row"| Universal Audio

|

  • Released: 20 September 2004
  • Label: Chemikal Underground <small>(CHEM075)</small>
  • Formats: LP, CD, Download

| 49 || 105 || 14

|-

| align="center" colspan="15" style="font-size:90%"| "–" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

|}

Live albums

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|-

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:12em;"| Title

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:20em;"| Album details

! scope="col" colspan="1"| Peak chart positions

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:35em;"| Notes

|-

! style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| UK<br><small>Indie</small><br>

|-

! scope="row"| BBC Sessions

|

  • Released: 1997
  • Label: Strange Fruit <small>(SFRSCD037)</small>
  • Formats: CD

| –

|

  • Taken from Mary Anne Hobbs, Mark Radcliffe and John Peel shows
  • Includes an acoustic session for Radio Scotland's Jump the Q
  • 11-track live compilation album

|-

! scope="row"| Live at the Fruitmarket

|

  • Released: 2001
  • Label: Chemikal Underground
  • Formats: CD

| –

|

  • Recorded on 20 January 2001 at the Fruitmarket, Glasgow
  • The final show of The Delgados' Great Eastern tour
  • 14-track, card case, live compilation album

|-

! scope="row"| The Complete<br>BBC Peel Sessions

|

  • Released: 12 June 2006
  • Label: Chemikal Underground <small>(CHEM088)</small>
  • Formats: CD, Download

| 13

|

  • Recorded on The BBC's John Peel shows between 1995 and 2004
  • With Stewart Henderson, Alun Woodward, Emma Pollock and Paul Savage
  • 29-track, double CD, live compilation album

|-

| align="center" colspan="15" style="font-size:90%"| "–" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

|}

Extended plays

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

! style="width:2em;"| Year

! style="width:8em;"| Title

! style="width:12em;"| Tracks

|-

|-

| 1995

| style="text-align:left;"| Lazarwalker

|

  • Primary Alternative
  • Lazarwalker
  • Buttonhole
  • Blackwell

|}

Singles

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

! rowspan="2" style="width:2em;"| Year

! rowspan="2" style="width:22em;"| Title

! colspan="3"| Peak chart positions

! rowspan="2" style="width:10em;"| Album

|-

! style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| SCO<br>

! style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| UK<br>

|-

| 1995

| style="text-align:left;"| "Monica Webster"

| – || – || –

| rowspan="2"

|-

| rowspan="3" |1996

| style="text-align:left;"| "Cinecentre"

| – || – || –

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| "Under Canvas Under Wraps"

| – || 186 || –

| rowspan="2" |Domestiques

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| "Sucrose"

| 100 || 155 || –

|-

| rowspan="3" |1998

| style="text-align:left;"| "Everything Goes Around the Water"

| 62 || 77 || 11

| rowspan="3" |Peloton

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| "Pull the Wires from the Wall"

| 57 || 69 || 15

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| "The Weaker Argument Defeats the Stronger"

| 92 || 98 || 19

|-

| rowspan="2" |2000

| style="text-align:left;"| "American Trilogy"

| 43 || 61 || 11

| rowspan="2" |The Great Eastern

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| "No Danger"

| 68 || 77 || 11

|-

| 2002

| style="text-align:left;"| "Coming in from the Cold"

| 55 || 82 || 19

| rowspan="2" |Hate

|-

| 2003

| style="text-align:left;"| "All You Need Is Hate"

| 73 || 72 || 11

|-

| 2004

| style="text-align:left;"| "Everybody Come Down"

| 56 || 67 || 13

| rowspan="2" |Universal Audio

|-

| 2005

| style="text-align:left;"| "Girls of Valour"

| – || 98 || 29

|-

| colspan="15" style="font-size:90%"| "–" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

|}

References

  • Official Website
  • Concert photos by Laurent Orseau (Black Session)
  • mySpace Page