Events

What's on in London: Sex With Strangers

Justin Vivian Bond's tribute to Marianne Faithfull.

Gaydar

10 May 2025 — 2 min read

Mx Justin Vivian Bond hits the London stage with their band for the UK premiere of their tribute to Marianne Faithfull.

Singer/songwriter, Marianne Faithfull, rose to fame in the 1960s and went on to become an iconic muse to countless artists in the music, literary, and fashion worlds.

“When I was 16 years old on my way to work at the Dairy Queen in Hagerstown, MD I heard Marianne Faithfull’s, ‘Broken English’ on my parent's car radio, and my world changed..." explains Justin Vivian Bond. "She had impeccable taste in music and her brilliant songwriting reflected the hard-earned wisdom, magic, honesty, and sensuousness that bore witness to a lifetime of journeying toward self-knowledge."

"The title of my show 'Sex With Strangers' is from a song on her 2002 studio album, 'Kissin’ Time' which she co-wrote with Beck. She was and remains a template for survival, and for me, she has provided a lifetime of inspiration. My band and I will perform stripped-down versions of her songs focusing mostly on songs from the latter part of her career in order to highlight their power and emphasise the poetry of their lyrics. As a song interpreter who is in their 60s it is especially meaningful to me to sing words that were written from the perspective of an adult woman, to feel and express the depth and hard earned wisdom of a mature and enlightened person."