Shot by: polawalczynska
Some bands are made for big stages, but Jools are a band forged in the sweat-drenched, intimate chaos of rooms like Krakow’s Gwarek. On a chilly October night, the Leicester six-piece made their long-awaited Polish debut, and for the eager crowd, it felt less like a first visit and more like a triumphant homecoming for a band they’d been waiting for all along.
Having just released their blistering debut album “Violent Delights” earlier this year, Jools brought its raw, unfiltered energy to a city primed for their particular brand of poetic fury. The setting was tiny, the atmosphere was electric, and the band responded with a performance of pure, unadulterated release.
From the first crashing chord, the dual-vocal assault of Mitch Gordon and Kate Price was breathtaking. Gordon, a whirlwind of contorted energy, leaned into the crowd like a man possessed, his vocals a guttural roar. Price matched him with a fierce, captivating intensity, her delivery shifting from a haunting spoken-word cadence to a full-throated battle cry. Their chemistry is the volatile core of Jools’ live show, a dialogue of shared anguish and defiance that is utterly compelling to witness. Behind the vocalists, the rhythm section of Joe Dodd (bass) and Chelsea Wrones (drums) was a tectonic force, providing a relentless, pummeling foundation over which guitarists Chris Johnston and Callum Connachie layered sheets of abrasive noise and moments of shoegaze texture.
The setlist, heavily drawn from “Violent Delights”, was a masterclass in tension and release. The new material, exploring themes of grief, addiction, and religious repression, transformed the tiny venue into a site of collective catharsis. You don’t just hear a Jools song - you feel it in your chest, a physical manifestation of the turmoil and resilience embedded in their music.
Their live show is anything but polite. It is a visceral, emotionally charged exorcism. As the final feedback of their closing number faded into the stunned, exhilarated cheers, one thing was certain - Jools won’t be playing rooms this small in Poland again. They’ve arrived, and their violent delights have truly violent ends.
