In an act of complete ingenuity driven by compassion and divine imagination, Jessamine Barham advocated for the rights of performers in carnivals in her aptly carnivalesque single, Freak Show.
While AHS Freak Show gave a view into the exploitation of performers when it aired on our screens in 2014, it didn’t even come close to cutting to the bone as sharply as the lacerating lyrical volition in Freak Show.
Sure, the waltzy, anachronistic cabaret instrumentals cushion the blow and add a jaunty air of playfulness to the release, but there is no escaping the revelation that everyone who has ever attended a show that parades deformity and disability participated in a sick and twisted session of voyeurism. If you love Amanda Palmer, you’re going to fall head over heels for Freak Show.
Roll up to the Freak Show by heading over to YouTube.
Review by Amelia Vandergast