Iona Zajac @ Cambridge Corn Exchange

Iona Zajac

This past fortnight has been nothing short of sensational for multi-instrumentalist Iona Zajac, who has just released her stunning newest single 'Summer' in the midst of a huge UK and Ireland tour supporting pop-icon Alison Moyet. Last night this tour rolled into Cambridge's Corn Exchange, with a capacity audience heading down early to witness a truly spellbinding set from Iona.

Walking onto the stage under a singular spotlight through a sea of low-lying fog, Iona immediately built up an atmospheric feel that would have the capacity Corn Exchanged gripped from the get-go. Her stage presence is purposeful, with every movement and word sung adding to the overall performance. Set opener 'Rubbish Jubilee' saw Iona begin her ethereal performance with the most incredible vocal prowess, backed only by her stripped-back guitar playing. This styling allowed not only her vocals to shine through, but also the poetic lyricism which graces all of Iona's work. It is difficult to put into words just how enchanting a set opener this was, sweeping a serene feeling of musical appreciation sweeping across the audience. The easiest way to truly describe the song is to quote the rather loud Northern gentleman sat behind me, who as the song rang out its last night turned to his wife and unintentionally amusingly said "Well that were a bloody good song weren't it"...the wording doesn't quite match the poetic masterpiece unfolding on stage, but the sentiments certainly ring true.

'Rubbish Jubilee' is one of two singles Iona put out at the start of 2023 (the other being 'Lips Feel'), but since then there had been no new released music from Zajac, that is until last week when haunting new single 'Summer' was released. The song, which was the second performed on the night, is one of her most poignant to date, tackling themes of longing for better days whilst living in hope that these days are possible and can last. I first saw Iona Zajac live in 2023 during her first ever Nottingham show, and remember that amongst a truly captivating set 'Summer' was a real stand out. To be two years later and finally hear the song live again, whilst also having a mesmerising studio version of the song to enjoy too now, is nothing short of a pleasure.

Between songs Iona is a soft-spoken comic, poking fun at aspects such as her own thematic choices around the often melancholic feelings of her songs, or how certain song titles can come across given her Scottish accent (most notably her single 'Bowls' sounding like "Balls"). This humour is combined with some truly insightful visions into how certain songs came to life, recalling stories of earlier life experiences or historic tales of Scottish past like before her adaptation of a traditional Scottish song 'The Burning of Auchindoun'. 

After half hour of musical excellency Iona brought her set to a close with a rousing rendition of 'Dilute', by which point she had firmly cemented herself as an audience favourite. Even after the whole night had finished, and the legendary Alison Moyet had smashed her set, I exited the building still hearing people talk about how exceptional Iona Zajac was. My biggest takeaway from the aforementioned Nottingham debut show was how seamlessly Iona managed to transform a room of strangers in a city she'd never played into a fully engaged audience on par with that of a hometown show. Well last night happened to be Zajac's first time performing in Cambridge, and yet still she managed to turn an even bigger room into what felt like a hometown audience; gripped from the first note, fully engaged during talking sections, and delivering deservedly rapturous applauses as each song came to an end.

It only takes one listen to a song on any sort of streaming platform to understand how talented a lyricist, vocalist and instrumentalist Iona Zajac is, but to truly appreciate the extent that talent goes, you absolutely need to head to one of her shows, and do it as soon as possible!