The Orchids were one of the most prolific, enduring and popular bands of the twee pop scene at Sarah Records. Formed near Glasgow in 1986, the Orchids released a series of underground singles on the hugely influential Sarah Records (see 1986 in music). The group's line-up comprised James Hackett (vocals), John Scally (guitar), Chris Quinn (drums), Matthew Drummond (guitar) and James Moody (bass). Their producer, Ian Carmichael, often played keyboards on their records. The group split up in 1995, playing their final gig at the Sarah Records farewell party.

The Orchids were musically one of the more interesting Sarah bands and certainly developed far more on that label than any band except, perhaps, The Field Mice. Starting with a fairly conventional melancholy guitar pop sound on Lyceum and contemporaneous singles, they moved on to become more keyboard and sample/effects-based for their second and third albums, Unholy Soul and Striving For the Lazy Perfection, developing a more electronic sound, possibly as a result of their producer, Ian Carmichael, who was a member of dance band One Dove. Their entire back catalogue was re-released on LTM Records in 2005.

The band reformed in 2004, and released a new album ''Good to Be a Stranger in 2007.