Rising Scottish talent Iona Zajac has released her second single of the year, the irresistibly raw and celebratory Bang—a bold, liberated follow-up to her haunting earlier 2025 release, Summer. Packed with tongue-in-cheek wit, swaggering indie-rock flair, and unapologetic joy, Bang showcases Zajac in her most confident, playful form to date. The track arrives hot on the heels of a whirlwind few months that saw Zajac supporting synthpop icon Alison Moyet across a sold-out 25-date UK and Ireland tour, including major stops at London’s Palladium, Dublin’s 3Olympia, and Belfast’s Ulster Hall. But even that was only the start.
Iona Zajac
Last December, Zajac made headlines after joining The Pogues at their monumental 40th anniversary show at Dublin’s 3Arena. Initially billed as a one-off, Zajac’s electric performance supporting—and later fronting—the legendary band led to a new touring lineup that included members of Lankum, Goat Girl, Lisa O’Neill, and Nadine Shah. This dream team of modern folk’s fiercest voices took The Pogues’ legacy into a new chapter, sharing the mic and the spotlight in seven stunning live shows. To mark the bond they’d forged, original Pogues member Spider Stacy joined Zajac and her fellow tourmates in a post-tour tattoo session, each inking the word “Pogue” to their skin—an unofficial rite of passage into the punk-folk pantheon.
And now, the next chapter begins. Zajac will tour North America with The Pogues this September, playing to huge crowds across the US and Canada (full dates below), cementing her role in this storied and evolving ensemble. Musically and thematically, Bang is a sharp departure from the ghostly folk minimalism of Summer. Instead, it’s a cheeky, guitar-driven explosion of sexual self-reclamation and late-night euphoria.
Speaking about the track, Zajac shares: “A good bang at the end of a boring day won’t fix your life, but it might help.” In a refreshingly candid reflection on young womanhood, shame, and the transformative power of sexual awakening, Zajac uses the song to reframe the narrative around physicality and pleasure.
“I wrote Bang when I realised sex could be good. That might sound obvious, but it wasn’t for me growing up,” she says. “Slut shaming, body hatred—it all made it impossible to feel joy in my own skin. Then one day the shame lifted, and I wanted to shout about it.” The accompanying music video takes a minimalist approach, following a day in the life of a woman who fully embraces her body and her desires. “It’s a celebration of female pleasure,” Zajac adds, “a simple story of being bored… and loving to bang.”
Zajac will be back on stage this July, first with a trio of intimate shows alongside Lisa O’Neill at Dun Laoghaire’s Pavilion Theatre, followed by a return to London for a special set supporting Alison Moyet at Kew Gardens as Part of Kew The Music.
She’ll then head to Belladrum Festival in August, before joining The Pogues for their major North American run, including festival appearances and iconic venues such as New York’s Terminal 5, Chicago’s Riot Fest, and Toronto’s History.
Iona Zajac – 2025 Tour Dates
JULY
4th – Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire w/ Lisa O’Neill
5th – Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire w/ Lisa O’Neill
6th – Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire w/ Lisa O’Neill
12th – Kew Gardens, London w/ Alison Moyet
AUGUST
1st – Belladrum Festival, Inverness
SEPTEMBER (with The Pogues)
5th – Lincoln Centre, Washington DC
7th – Seasun Festival, Boston
8th – Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia
10th – History, Toronto
12th – Mtelus, Montreal
13th – CityFolk Festival, Ottawa
16th – Terminal 5, New York
17th – Terminal 5, New York
19th – Riot Fest, Chicago
With Bang, Iona Zajac continues to prove that she’s a voice to watch—not just for her powerful vocals and poetic lyrics, but for her fierce commitment to truth, vulnerability, and evolution. Whether fronting her own band or reimagining The Pogues’ catalogue, Zajac is a force of nature—shame-free, genre-bending, and gloriously herself.
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