Francis of Delirium - Trinity Arts Centre - 3rd September 2022

Picture a universe where Mazzy Star was raised in Luxembourg and feasted on rock instead of shoegaze, and you meet Francis of Delirium. An unanswered siren call in an English tongue, the band are living proof that teenage angst is inevitable the world over.

If the devil on your shoulder played guitar, she’d be frontwoman Jana Bahrich. When Jana swears in perhaps her best song, Quit Fucking Around, it’s as shocking and as enjoyable as hearing your older sister curse. She starts a club you want to be a part of; a call to arms for anyone who’s shouted their heartbreak into the void and come back emptyhanded.

Her words ring as true as the scrawled letters of love and madness on the walls of a city’s nightclub bathroom, but cut harder and taste like blood. People don’t clap for Francis of Delirium; they beat their chests.

In conversation with Renegade after her set, Jana describes her style of writing as “spontaneous”. It’s a word that sets the tone for her band’s philosophy. Watching her rock out, you’re not quite sure whether she’s going to tear her heart out or kiss the floor.