Iona Zajac made her way across the pond from Glasgow with The Pogues to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their record “Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash”. We discussed touring with this historic band, the best music coming out of Ireland, and her debut album “Bang” releasing this November. I spoke with Iona ahead of The Pogues headlining set at Riot Fest’s Rebel Stage.
Iona Zajac : I just realized I’ve been, I’ve been kind of like, trying to navigate New York and then I was like, shit.
Logan Melia: It’s a beautiful place to navigate, so no judgment on my end.
Iona: Thank you thank you. How are you doing?
Logan: I’m doing well, how about yourself?
Iona: Yeah, really good, really good. A bit like, a bit spaced out after being on the road for a couple of weeks. And it’s my first time in all of these places, so, kind of like a kid in a sweet shop.
Logan: Are you liking it so far? Are you liking the U.S. vibes?
Iona: I am, I am. Like, New York in particular it’s my first time here.
Logan: And you’re playing two nights there, right? Tonight’s the second night?
Iona: Exactly. Tonight’s the second night and at Terminal 5. Have you been there?
Logan: I have been. You guys have been playing some really incredible venues.
Iona: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, the ones in Canada, I have to say, have really stood out for me gig- wise. Our gig in Montreal was like, the highlight of the tour so far.
Logan: Was that the City Folk Festival you played?
Iona: No, that was Ottawa, which was another highlight. That was amazing.
Logan: Where did you play int Montreal that you liked so much?
Iona: Montreal, oh, off the top of my head, I can’t remember.
Logan: What made it so special for you?
Iona: It was the audience, really. The audience were the dream audience to have on a stage, where they were giving you everything for the upbeat numbers and then really enjoying the slower numbers. Just so delighted by the gig and being there, that you stand on stage being so delighted to be there. And very similar, I’d say the most iconic venue that The Pogues have had really special gigs is a venue in Glasgow called The Barrowland Ballroom, otherwise known as “The Barras”. And it’s just really well known for them having the most rowdy, amazing electric gigs. And a few people at the show in Montreal kind of compared that audience to the Glasgow audience. So that was special.
Logan: My first introduction to The Barrowlands was an old recording of Oasis playing there back in the 2000s. And then I just went down the rabbit hole. I mean, the fans look absolutely electric there.
Iona: Yeah, it’s always a wild gig. I’ve got friends in an amazing Irish band called The Mary Wallopers.
Logan: Oh, I love The Mary Wallopers.
Iona: Yeah, you know them. So they’re big enough now that they could be playing the arena show in Glasgow, but instead they’ve chosen to do five nights in The Barrowlands rather than one night in the arena, just because of the buzz of the venue and the fans. It’s just great.
Logan: Oh, absolutely. Now, I’m from Chicago, and the Riot Fest crowds that you’ll be playing to on Friday, I’m not trying to set your expectations too high, but I’m a longtime goer of that festival.
Iona: Are you coming?
Logan: Oh, I’m absolutely there. I’m front row for you. I’m getting there during Stiff Little Fingers.
Iona: Class.
Logan: You guys have been circled on the calendar for months ever since it was announced. But it’s crowd surfing, it’s moshing, and it’s the whole nine. It’s a good vibe.
Iona: Brilliant. I can’t wait for that.
Logan: You did a stretch in the UK, you’re doing some dates in the States right now. I mean, you guys have a ton of people on stage. How has the tour been as a whole?
Iona: I mean, considering how many of us, it’s like the most harmonious and hilarious group of people. Honestly, the gigs have been amazing, but everything surrounding the gigs, like the bus journeys, have been just places of complete kind of hilarity. And we’ve written a lot of songs together on the buses. A lot of songs that are quite silly, like playing a game where you have to make up an album name and then write a track list, and then you choose to write one of the songs. And we’ve played that a couple of times. And we’ve done a lot of games, you know, poetry games, where you write a line and fold over the piece of paper and pass it on, and then you end up with this absolutely bizarre poem from all of our brains. It’s been a real place of just nonsense, but also just really amazing, open, creative people. And there’s obviously the three original members, James, Jem, and Spider, and there’s what they refer to as their children, which is all of us. And it really feels like that. It does feel like one big family. It’s amazing. And we all just feel so lucky to be doing it. It’s such an honor.
Logan: That’s so sweet. I mean, it’s such a cool progression of the legacy. My whole family’s from Ireland, so the Pogues were the soundtrack to growing up and everything. I never thought I’d get an opportunity to see them. And so what does this legacy mean? What is your relationship with the Pogues growing up?
Iona: I think, similarly, growing up with my parents, listening to them, and knowing of this guy, Shane MacGowan, that was just this absolute legend and mad character. Growing up, we’d be singing the songs at Christmas, but obviously my parents would have been going to see them when they were a bit younger than I am now. So, I really just grew up knowing them as legends that I would probably never get to see. And then suddenly getting asked if I might get up and sing a song with them, I was like, I can’t do that. I don’t have that kind of, I don’t think I had that kind of voice in me. To sing the song, one of my songs I sing is “Poor Paddy Works on the Railway”, and that requires you to be quite raucous. I just didn’t think I had that voice, because the rest of the stuff I sing is pretty mellow and folky, and I’ve absolutely found it thanks to them. The band is not trying to be what it was with Shane MacGowan, nobody’s trying to replace anyone. He has written songs that will last forever, and we’re just so lucky to be carrying on singing them. It’s a real love for him all through the show. Yeah, it really is.
Logan: Thats so special.
Iona: Yeah, it really is.
Logan: Now Ireland is kind of, the U.K. as a whole, is kind of a hotbed kind of the best new bands between, you mentioned The Mary Wallopers, you have Fontaines, Kneecap, Sam Fender even from more of the British side of it. Is there anything that you have your eye on right now? Any artists from across the pond that us Americans should be keying into?
Iona: Apart from the ones you’ve just mentioned, I don’t know if you’ve come across Lankum. They’re a dark Irish folk band. They’re fantastic, and one of their members is playing guitar with us on this tour. John Francis Flynn is also brilliant from Dublin, and he’s singing a couple of songs with us, so you’ll see. Ireland is just constantly pumping out these amazing musicians at the moment. I’m from Scotland myself, but I’m living in London now. It’s kind of exhausting living in London, because there’s a brilliant gig to go to every day.
Logan: Not a bad problem to have.
Iona: Yeah, it’s not a bad problem to have. But yeah, I think this group of musicians is a particularly special group, because there’s so many people that have their own projects that are very exciting at the moment. Lisa O’Neill, who’s singing some of the big numbers with us on this tour, her solo project is absolutely amazing. I’m doing some shows supporting her as soon as I get back.
Logan: And yourself too, you have your album “Bang” coming out November 21st. You have a few singles out right now, you have a music video for “Dilute”. This is a big year for you, this is exciting.
Iona: Yeah, it’s all going on. Bringing out my first record has taken a long time and a lot of work, and it feels like a lot has gone into this year, and then suddenly it’s all happening at once. And so it feels great to be putting out my solo music and working on that alongside doing The Pogues stuff, because it’s all so different, but all feeding into each other. And my solo music is so different from this. So I feel like they’re just feeding different avenues, if you like.
Logan: Yeah, I’ve listened to your stuff and it’s got such a feeling to it. It sets over you when you listen to it. And even going back to your first EP, “Finding Her in the Grass”, you have such a unique sound that has just consistently been yours.
Iona: Thank you. I’m outside a restaurant just now because I met up with my producer who produced “Bang”. She’s in New York right now. And I think working with her and working with the musicians on the album has been really key to developing the sound. Because I really just started as me in my bedroom with my guitar, with a knowledge of three chords. That’s where the first EP came from. And so it’s really exciting, the prospect that this album is going to… because I’ve done so much solo touring, supporting people. And now with this record, we’re going to be playing with a full band. I can’t wait.
Logan: Yeah, you got some co-headline dates with Robin Kester and then your album release show on the 27th at The Social. You have so much going on this year. What is the most exciting thing for you?
Iona: I think, apart from these The Pogues shows, I think the next thing will be the album launch in London. That’ll feel like a big moment because I’ve not really done a headline show under my own name before. And so much has gone into getting this album out in the world. We’re sort of releasing it. And I just hope it’s a big celebration of the music. And the thing I’ve been enjoying this year the most actually, because we recorded the album nearly two years ago now, so the songs have been around for a long time. But this year I’ve really been focusing on the visual and the videos to go alongside the tracks. And that, I think, has really injected the music with a currency of how I am as an artist at this point, versus how I was when I wrote the songs. And I’ve just been so enjoying that creative process and finding amazing people to work with. And so I’m about to make the next music video for the next single, which is called “Murder Mystery”. It’s kind of a play on Scandi Noir, Murder Mystery songs. It’s very surreal. But we’ve got a really exciting plan for the music video for that. So I’m excited to make that when I get home.
Logan: This is so exciting. Now, I won’t keep you too much longer. I’ve got one more question for you. Thank you so much for taking the time with me. So this new album of yours, you mentioned Emily Dickinson as a previous influence for the song “Summer”. Are there any forms of media that you really fall back on that just always hit the inspiration chord for you?
Iona: I think reading poetry is probably always where I go to. Reading poetry and people watching would be probably my two… If I’m needing material, I’m just obsessed with watching people and writing that focuses on everyday experience and the subtleties of daily living that sometimes we miss because we’re occupied by big things in life. So, like Hannah Sullivan has always been a big inspiration and Alice Oswald. Hannah Sullivan has this poetry collection called “Three Poems”. It’s the best observation of busy life that I’ve read. I’d say that. This record is a big one because it really does detail the last 15 years of my life. Going forward, the stuff will probably be a bit more current. I’m so excited to have it out in the world.
Logan: You can listen to it on November 21st. You can catch Iona with The Pogues this Friday at Riot Fest.
Iona: So nice to speak to you, Logan. I’ll see you on Friday.
Iona and The Pogues put on an incredible show, one that brought in a crowd spanning generations to sing, dance, and celebrate Shane and The Pogues’ legacy. With an encore of “The Gentlemen’s Soldier” in the shadow of fireworks, The Pogues set at Riot Fest will live in the memories of their fans for life. Iona’s first LP “Bang” comes out in just under 2 months on November 21st. You find her music here.
