It was a big night for Jana Bahrich's Francis of Delirium. With the new album, Run, Run Pure Beauty having been released on Friday, 29 May, it was time for something of a homecoming party – a sold-out concert at Rotondes ahead of her (slightly insane) fall tour schedule.
A massively hot topic in the Luxembourgish music scene as of late, Francis of Delirium enjoyed a slow-but-steady rise at first, with Bahrich releasing her debut album Lighthouse in 2024. A live appearance on KEXP later that year and extensive touring in support of bands like 1975, Horsegirl, Kings of Leon, Wolf Alice, and bôa solidifed the Luxembourgish musician as one to keep an eye on.
Not only did we get a live performance, we got a St Patrick's Day cover of Linger!
The hosts at RTL Today Radio were terribly excited when she announced her sophomore LP, Run, Run Pure Beauty in early 2026. In an interview with Sam Steen, she told our host that the title of the album carries a double meaning. "It can be read as a wish or as a warning," she said. "Run free, be joyful… or run, hide yourself, protect yourself."
Indeed, Bahrich re-emphasised this point at the Run, Run Pure Beauty album release party on Thursday, 4 June. Having just returned from a week in the United Kingdom, she also admitted to being a little bit winded.
No surprise there: Bahrich and her band have played extensively ahead of the LP's release, Francis of Delirium's momentum growing exponentially all the while.
It poured buckets just before the show kicked off at Rotondes on Thursday evening – but the buzz was tangible. German indie singer-songwriter Brockhoff opened with a flurry of potent, grungy tunes.
The Hamburg-based musician, after all, had reason to celebrate: her first full-length studio album, Easy Peeler, was to release the following day on Friday, 5 June.
Bahrich, for her part, brought incredible energy and excitement to the room when the time came for Francis of Delirium to present their new LP. A few technical hiccups only served to add to the fuzzy, friendly, celebratory energy – and spoke to Bahrich's own excitement more than anything else.
With incredible energy, Jana Bahrich and the supremely seasoned band performed a healthy mix of FoD classics as well as new material. Judging by the reaction of the crowd, even the most recent material was already intimately familiar to fans. A good sign to say the least!
The release of Run, Run Pure Beauty – and frankly the whole evening at Rotondes – felt like something of a musical milestone for Luxembourg. Francis of Delirium has enjoyed a meteoric rise on account of Bahrich's artistry. Her songwriting, ear for great guitar riffs, and personally-produced visual pieces – which adorn the single and album covers of FoD's discography – all prove it.
Luxembourg, in other words, has a rock star on its hands, one that regularly tours the world, one that's got a distinct voice and visual identity, one that makes killer records like Run, Run Pure Beauty.
Do you like Luxembourg's own Francis of Delirium and their new album, Run, Run Pure Beauty? If so, here's more bands/tunes you might dig, too.
