Glasgow’s Iona Zajac has returned with her most searing track to date — and she’s naming names (well, one name, but it hits like a hundred). Her new single ‘Anton’ is out now, and it’s a jaw-clenched, soul-tearing reckoning with the kind of toxic men many of us were taught to laugh off. Except this time, she’s not laughing. She’s burning the whole rotten house down.
“Anton is all the men who assumed they had the upper hand,” Zajac says. “The men that haunted my teens with their egos and their hands. It’s for the girls who said ok or didn’t. Who were expected to be ok or pretended to be. Anton is the power and the rage I’ve found since.”
The song opens with quiet devastation. A sparse guitar line and Iona’s haunting voice, brittle but controlled. But it doesn’t stay there long. The tension builds until it explodes, not in chaos but in precision.
And lyrically? “Anton I don’t love you like you want me to, don’t ask me why” will live rent-free in our minds for months.
Rage and resilience on the road
Zajac’s been having a massive year — supporting Alison Moyet on a sold-out UK tour, then teaming up with actual folk-punk gods The Pogues. After joining them onstage at Dublin’s 3Arena for their 40th anniversary show, she became part of the band’s new live lineup, alongside Daragh Lynch (Lankum), Lisa O’Neill, Nadine Shah, and Holly Mullineaux of Goat Girl.
And yes, they all got “Pogue” tattooed together at the end of the tour. No notes.
Next up? She’s heading stateside. Her US and Canada run kicks off 5 September at Lincoln Centre in Washington and wraps at Riot Fest in Chicago on 19 September, with plenty of stops in between. If you’re nearby, go. If you’re not, consider getting on a plane. It’s worth it.
Tour dates are as follows:
August 1st – Belladrum Festival, Inverness
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, Ottawa (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)
TL;DR:
Iona Zajac’s ‘Anton’ is a fierce, poetic middle finger to the boys who never grew up. Catch her with The Pogues in the US/Canada this September if you like your folk with teeth.
Listen to ‘Anton’
Tour dates: iona-zajac.com
For the girls who were expected to be okay. We see you.
Stay unruly.
