“We Are Unapologetically Polish”: vgtbl.pl on Taking the Vegetables Worldwide, Their Warsaw of Falafel, Karaoke and Dad Rock

vgtbl.pl is a Warsaw audiovisual duo that mixes hyperpop, jazz and punk with animated visuals, sings almost entirely in Polish, and has made vegetables its whole universe. Behind it are Franek Warzywa (Franek Vegetables), the visual artist Franek Drażba, a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, and Młody Budda (Young Buddha), Adam Kiepuszewski, a jazz guitar graduate of the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.

They met online in 2021, after Młody Budda came across a video of Franek singing on top of an enormous broccoli. Music critic Anthony Fantano named their EPs among the best of 2023 and 2024, and their debut album, Vegetables Worldwide, came out in 2025, followed by shows in around 15 countries, from The Great Escape in Brighton to Pohoda in Slovakia.

They told us how a song about going to school turned into a full-time project, why they refuse to switch to English, what Polish artists are up against abroad, and their ten favorite places in Warsaw, from a karaoke bar in an underpass to a billiard club playing dad rock.

“We are unapologetically Polish.”

A Giant Broccoli, a Song About School and a Band That Went Viral

I (Młody Budda) discovered Franek’s early work on the internet and found it widely amusing and original (he was singing on top of an enormous broccoli), so I reached out to him. We made a song together about going to school, which had moderate viral success in Poland, and after playing our first show we decided to create a full-time project together.

“Our life hasn’t been the same since. E.g., I started eating tomatoes…”

Vegetables Worldwide: An Album That Took Polish Hyperpop to 15 Countries

We’re not exactly religious or spiritual, but we like to create affirmations for ourselves. Vegetables Worldwide is us trying to prove to ourselves and to the world that we are, in fact, taking the vegetables worldwide.

Since the album’s inception, we have played in around 15 different countries, including such unusual destinations as Korea, Portugal and Macedonia. We are collaborating with people from Canada, Japan, Spain and France, to name a few, all in the name of exporting the freshest vegetable produce Poland has to offer.

“All in the name of exporting the freshest vegetable produce Poland has to offer.”

Hyperpop, Jazz and Punk: What vgtbl.pl Sound Like in One Breath

Intense, bittersweet, beautiful and heartfelt, epic and hopeful, a sublime and complete cathartic musical experience.

We grew up with guitar-driven music (at its peak, Franek was listening to metalcore, Młody Budda to mathcore and post-hardcore). Since then, our taste has steered towards modern hyperpop and global electronic music, especially from countries such as Brazil and Japan.

SOPHIE will always be a big one in terms of her approach to combining pop hooks with avant-garde sound textures and sound design. Contemporary European artists like Oklou, Mechatok and DJ Billybool were lately on our rotation as well.

If you want to understand the spirit of our upcoming release, check out My Teenage Dream Ended by Farrah Abraham!! Raw and unfiltered, a wild beast of a record.

“SOPHIE will always be a big one.”

Building a Bridge Alone: Why So Few Polish Artists Break Through Abroad

I strongly believe that, first and foremost, our energy and the music itself keep drawing in new listeners. We are unapologetically Polish. We make a lot of effort in building a separate setlist for every city we play in.

Our biggest challenge is in trying to build a bridge between Poland and the rest of the world alone. Most artists are associated with certain scenes, collectives, movements. I feel like the general hype around Polish culture might help us and other artists in the long run, though. Polska gurom!!

“Our biggest challenge is in trying to build a bridge between Poland and the rest of the world alone.”

The November Mixtape: “A Party With Our Friends, and You’re Invited”

It’s gonna be a party with our friends from all around the world, and you’re invited!!

Why vgtbl.pl Refuse to Switch to English

I never understood why it’s OK for Japanese and Korean artists to sing in their languages, and if you’re from Central or Eastern Europe, you have a very limited chance of breaking through with your own language, unless it’s some sort of aestheticized and fetishized form of selling it to a Western audience (e.g., Molchat Doma). We need to push it not only for ourselves, but eventually for future generations of Polish artists.

We are currently exploring singing more in English, but we’ll never fully switch, and there’s a reason why people prefer to swear in their native language and express truly what they feel.

“There’s a reason why people prefer to swear in their native language and express truly what they feel.”

vgtbl.pl’s Warsaw: Falafel, Karaoke in an Underpass and Dad Rock at the Billiard Club

Młody Budda’s Warsaw: Pad Thai, Cardamom Buns and Polish Jazz on Vinyl

Madame Thai: Without a fault, the best pad thai you can get in Warsaw, and for a relatively good price.

Namo Bakery: Best cardamom bun ever, and great coffee as well.

Hey Joe vinyl store: Lots of rarities and a wide selection of classic Polish jazz and punk records.

Chmury: The Warsaw equivalent of the Windmill, a legendary small venue known for bringing in emerging alternative acts.

Pub Przejście: A legendary karaoke bar hidden in a street underpass.

Franek Warzywa’s Warsaw: Cheap Falafel, a Graffiti Tunnel Pub and a Vegetable Market

Niedaleko Damaszku: Best falafel in Warsaw (also the cheapest).

In Side pub: My favourite pub in the city centre, hidden inside a grungy, graffiti-covered tunnel. They even have a jukebox!

Hałas: A coffee spot in the basement of a modernist building in Saska Kępa, a quiet, green neighbourhood near Skaryszewski Park.

Bazar na Kole: The best place to buy fresh vegetables during the week, and a flea market every weekend.

Arena Billiard Club: One of the oldest billiard clubs in Warsaw. If you’re lucky, they’ll be playing a great selection of dad rock.

“If you’re lucky, they’ll be playing a great selection of dad rock.”