I must admit that my main motivation for reviewing Justin Vivian Bond: Sex With Strangers wasn’t the show itself but the venue (more of that later) – it was to be my first visit to the Soho Theatre’s new space in deepest Walthamstow. And whilst I didn’t know much about Bond’s work, I did know that the inspiration behind Sex With Strangers was the songs of Marianne Faithfull, someone who I do know a lot about as I had followed her career from the early sixties up until her death earlier this year.
Justin Vivian Bond is an American transgender artist who has been around the cabaret and club circuit for many years, often as part of the duo, Kiki And Herb but they are also well known as a chanteuse of the highest calibre. Here, accompanied by a five-piece band, they take the stage immaculately attired in an exquisitely tailored black suit. The first set is fairly short at around forty five minutes and seven or so songs from Faithfull’s later work including “Broken English” (the song that helped revive Faithfull’s fortunes after a tough period which included homelessness) and the wonderful “Ballad Of Lucy Jordan” which was written by Shel Silverstein (of “Sylvia’s Mother” fame). To tell the truth, whilst Bond’s vocal range isn’t a million miles from the deep, husky tones of later era Faithfull, I was missing the latter’s voice and it all felt a little flat. Bond wasn’t helped by a drummer who thought the snare drum was something to be beaten flat like a wiener schnitzel, which meant that the subtlety of the piano and violin could hardly be heard. Thankfully, this didn’t last and on the quieter numbers, we could hear the band properly, and what an excellent band they were.
For the second act, Bond returned in a white suit that mirrored the cut of the black one. Things started to warm up and I’m not sure if it was me getting to like Bond’s voice, they being more comfortable in the large hall, a better selection of songs or even the change of suit but the second half was a lot more enjoyable than the first. The songs which included “Why’d Ya Do It”, Faithfull’s most uncompromising song and “Sister Morphine” the song she wrote with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards for the Rolling Stones amongst others, were excellent. Bond is not only a chanteuse but a raconteur and, between songs, told some scurrilous stories about family, friends and her encounters with the person whose songs she was singing. Bond has led quite a life, and it’s a tale of sex (lots of it), drugs (quite a lot of those) and rock and roll (maybe not a lot of that). They tell their stories well, although they are prone to laugh at their own jokes. The concert ended with a Harry Nilsson song that Faithfull recorded on her “20th Century Blues” album, which meant the evening ended on a bit of a downbeat as it contains the words “When we’re older, full of cancer”! Then, with the final words of the song “You know I’ll think about you, let me know if you think about me too”, Bond left the stage and disappeared into the hot, steamy Walthamstow night.
As for the venue, it was previously the Walthamstow Granada, where, apart from showing films, the likes of The Beatles, Buddy Holly, Little Richard and John Coltrane have appeared on its stage. It’s a stunning space and has been refurbished to the highest quality with comfortable seats and superb sightlines. Whether with its capacity of nearly a thousand seats, it is the best venue to see cabaret acts like Justin Vivian Bond, time will tell, but it’s definitely worth the trip down the Victoria line to enjoy its lavishness.
Review by Alan Fitter
An evening of song and poetry for, by, and about the outrageously gorgeous and mythical icon of dissolute glamour, Marianne Faithfull.
JUSTIN VIVIAN BOND: SEX WITH STRANGERS
Soho Theatre Walthamstow
11 and 12 July 2025
