Michael Trotter did his very best to stop Tanya from falling for him. I’m a screwup, he told her. I’ve already got a divorce in my 20s, I’ve been to war twice, I’m wounded. I am not a catch. “She just looked at me and said, ‘Are you done?’” says Michael. “‘Because I’m going to tell you what I see. I see a king. You just need the right kind of queen.’”
The resulting partnership, both marital and musical, has proven her right. See the Trotters in a room together and you almost feel sorry for other couples. Watch them on stage, as the War and Treaty, and you’re transported into the heart of their relationship. Their Glastonbury debut last year had the devotional fervour of a revival meeting, and their fourth album, Lover’s Game, released this month, bursts with emotion, inspired by the gospel and country sounds they have both loved since childhood.
