Iona Zajac from Edinburgh (via Dublin) joined the inimitable Alison Moyet on the sold-out tour promoting Alison’s recent album Key and I had the incredible privilege to be in attendance of the London show on 12 March.
The London Palladium is a stunning venue, intimidatingly so. When I arrived there on a crisp spring Tuesday evening, the marquee was blindingly bright and punters were eagerly taking selfies with the posters, giddily awaiting the night’s proceedings. After touring the whole venue (including the stage door) to locate my photo pass (and being treated like royalty I must add), I arrived in the auditorium to watch it fill up – and then Iona Zajac took to the stage, just with her guitar, her voice and a couple of effects, and the room gave into her captivating music entirely.
Iona’s songs have darkness to them that I find incredibly seducing (I am a self-proclaimed fan of ‘sad women singing sad songs’) – they blend Irish and Scottish folk aesthetic with contemporary lyrics that speak of everyday human experiences in a way that transports you to a point in time impossible to pinpoint. It is cliché to say that someone’s voice makes them sound decades older than they are, or from another time – but Iona’s voice truly has that timeless quality.
She introduced many songs as ‘angry’. Some were about boys you encounter in your 20s (which most certainly offers plenty of angry material and is highly relatable). However that anger is not explosive, but is delivered with a sense of melancholy, longing and mourning. This makes complete sense considering her close relationship with Dublin’s Lankum (Iona opened for them on tour and recorder and performed with Daragh Lynch, their guitarist / vocalist / percussionist).
Listening to Iona Zajac reminded me of Marissa Nadler and Agnes Obel, who while minimal in form (Iona only used her guitar, voice and a very occasional loop / synth effect on stage), are rich in texture, build an enveloping soundscape and offer great storytelling. They were also introduced with incredible banter – the recent single ‘Summer’ hit the nerve with the audience as Ilona told us it will “cheer us up”. I guess going on tour with Alison Moyet and her excellent stories would rub off on you.
Closing her performance, Iona remarked on performing in such a grand venue after years spent gigging in dingy pubs – and I couldn’t relate more. However seeing her open for such an icon as Alison Moyet and have the audience eat from the palm of her hand, my crystal ball tells me that this won’t be the last time we will see Iona’s name on a blinding venue marquee, and when you see it – I urge you to come inside and get lost in her murder ballads.
- Follow Iona Zajac on Instagram | YouTube | Facebook |
- Iona Zajac is joining The Pogues on the 40th anniversary tour of their album Rum, Sodomy & the Lash – last remaining tickers can be purchased here
It would be impossible not to mention Alison Moyet herself, even though I was unable to capture her performance. If I were a Gen Z’er, I’d say ‘mother was mothering’. The purpose of the Key tour was to make all songs sound ‘as if they came out in the same year’, and from the get go we were treated to the unmistakable sound of synths that is so synonymous with Alison Moyet and Yazoo. And then came the singular voice that filled the walls of Palladium to the last rafter. The aforementioned between the songs banter was exceptional – on ‘The Impervious Me’ the singer remarked on lessons one can take from the earlier generations, but only once you’ve yourself arrived at a certain age. ‘Filigree’, inspired by a visit to an arthouse cinema to watch a pretentious movie only to be brought to tears by the last scene, was a meditation on having to wait for those minutes of happiness that will only come if we give them the time.
Despite not being able to capture the full performance, I followed the example set by the rows in front of me and couldn’t resist sneaking a snippet of the encore, which gave us the Yazoo classics ‘Situation’ and ‘Don’t Go’. As a child of the 80s I realised how much Alison Moyet and her pioneering electronica sound has shaped my music taste – and how she inspired some of my favourite electronic artists of recent years. She has a way of saying thank you to the audience after each song that makes you feel genuinely appreciated and I would like to say that to her back – Alison Moyet, I thank you.