Iona Zajac celebrates great sex in new single and video, ‘Bang’
Iona Zajac by Carys Huws
Today, the hotly tipped Iona Zajac shares her second single of the year, ‘Bang’.
In the few short months since her previous single, ‘Summer,’ Iona Zajac has been on a whirlwind journey. Following her first release in three years, she joined Alison Moyet as the main support on a completely sold-out, 25-date academy tour. This run saw her perform to the biggest crowds of her career to date, including shows at London’s Palladium, Dublin’s 3Olympia, and Belfast’s Ulster Hall.
In December last year, at what was originally billed as a one-off 40th anniversary show, Zajac and her band supported the Pogues at Dublin’s 3Arena, later joining the band on stage to share vocal duties across the band's iconic catalogue. To follow up her monumental run with Moyet, she reprised her role on a seven-date tour, performing vocals alongside Lankum’s Daragh Lynch, John Francis Flynn, Lisa O’Neill, Nadine Shah, and bassist Holly Mullineaux of Goat Girl, as part of the new touring lineup of the Irish folk legends.
Though brief, the seven-date run made its mark in the band’s history. Following the tour, original member Spider Stacy joined the new lineup in a post-tour tattoo session, each committing the word ‘Pogue’ to their skin in celebration of the group's new chapter.
Zajac will continue her journey as a member of The Pogues, performing with them in the USA this September (full list of dates below).
Zajac’s new track ‘Bang’ trades the haunting, spectral folk stylings of ‘Summer’ for a burst of sexually liberated joy. “A good bang at the end of a boring day won’t fix your life, but it might help,” says Zajac. Rooted in raw honesty and surrealist edge, the track is a testament to Zajac’s broader musical evolution - one shaped by deeply personal writing, a rich blend of folk textures and vibrant indie-rock tones, and an unflinching desire to voice the complex realities of modern womanhood. In ‘Bang’, she embraces physicality, joy, and reclamation with tongue-in-cheek confidence and melodic verve.
She continues “I wrote bang when I realised sex could be good. While that feels like something that should be taken for granted, it wasn’t for me as a young woman growing up. I think that’s the case for a lot of people. Confusing clashing bodies, often shadowed by the evil teenage world of slut shaming. I hated my body and I couldn’t figure out how to enjoy it. Then suddenly it was bliss, the shame was gone and I wanted to shout about it.”
“So I wrote Bang. For the video, we wanted to keep it simple, it’s a celebration of female pleasure and presents a day in the life of a bored woman who loves to bang!”
Listen to ‘Bang’ here
Watch video for ‘Bang’ below
Iona returns to stages from July 4th supporting three dates at the Pavilion Theatre with fellow The Pogues vocalist Lisa O'Neill, followed by a one off show at London's Kew Gardens with former tourmate Alison Moyet, finally continuing her run with The Pogues playing across the USA and Canada. Full list of dates below.
Iona Zajac tour dates
July 4th - Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire w/ Lisa O’Neill
July 5th - Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire w/ Lisa O’Neill
July 6th - Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire w/ Lisa O’Neill
July 12th - Kew Gardens w/ Alison Moyet
August 1st - Belladrum Festival, Invernes
Sept 5th - Lincoln Centre, Washington (As part of The Pogues)
Sept 7th - Seasun Festival, Boston (As part of The Pogues)
Sept 8th - Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia (As part of The Pogues)
Sept 10th - History, Toronto (As part of The Pogues)
Sept 12th - Mtelus, Montreal (As part of The Pogues)
Sept 13th - CityFolk Festival, Ottowa (As part of The Pogues)
Sept 16th - Terminal 5, New York (As part of The Pogues)
Sept 17th - Terminal 5, New York (As part of The Pogues)
Sept 19th - Riot Fest, Chicago (As part of The Pogues)
