Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Defiance is a key ingredient to staying alive, of being the unregulated thorn in the side of all who wish to control, manipulate or bog you down with their version of life, one that does not suit you but you are expected to play within their rules and desires. Defiance is the key to Dalton Deschain & The Travelling Show’s glorious Roberta E.P., an animated anti folk package that lovingly assaults the mind with its dramatic flair whilst caressing the ears with the touch of silk of lyrical vibe and assurance.
Defiance is to take on subject that might be considered risky, that people would shy away from as they sit and listen to the music; it never stopped bands like The Kinks drawing a beautiful off kilter picture of humanity in the song Lola neither could Lou Reed be admonished for his incredible Walk On The Wild Side. For Dalton Deschain & The Travelling Show, a lead song from the 21st Century which deals with the love found between a trans woman in the 1940s, hardly considered a time of tolerance and compassion, and a stage hand, is something that cannot and must not be ignored.
Freakshow is created by Jo Kroger, Craig Kierce, Michael Kennedy, Phil Harris and Dalton Deschain and in which ever format it takes on the E.P., it is lively, accessible and one of transition across the listener’s mind; it is part of a chain of songs that maximises the high potential of the band and one that really thrills the heart as the wake of emotions, first bombard the enjoyment, then underline the craving for more, an underline that is scored several times and ripped through to other side of the following pages of the musical book.
With the songs Interstitial (Don’t Cry, Mein Liebchen) and Different Constellations making the massive E.P. sound so direct, personal and dynamic, defiance is one to be celebrated and given room to breathe. The music is exultant and one to look forward to hearing how the remaining part of the trilogy, of which the Roberta E.P is but the beginning, plays out.
Ian D. Hall