THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
Soho Theatre, Walthamstow, London, July 11 & 12, 2025
Their farewell concert might have been in Carnegie Hall, but last weekend marked the triumphant return of Kiki & Herb to our shores after an 18-year lapse. The American duo – Justin Vivian Bond and Kenny Mellman – unearthed their cabaret alter egos for the wonderfully titled Kiki & Herb Are Trying at the stunning Soho Theatre in Walthamstow, an art deco triumph of restoration that’s a great addition to the London scene.
For over two decades, Kiki & Herb redefined the boundaries of performance art and live music with an intoxicating blend of biting wit, raw emotion, and incredible musical virtuosity, mostly tackling rock tunes and power ballads. The reunion show, which never wallowed in nostalgia for a second, featured great new material and managed to delight old fans and win many new ones.
This weekend Justin (or Viv, as they are known) returned with their own solo show accompanied by an ace five-piece band in a much more sober affair, which comprised a tribute to the artist, muse, and all-round survivor, Marianne Faithfull – ‘Sex With Strangers’, the show’s title, is a song from Faithfull’s album Kissin Time. MD Matt Ray fashioned some richly textured arrangements of the songs with support including Nath Ann Carrera on guitar, Claudia Chopek on violin, and Bernice ‘Boom Boom’ Brooks on drums.
Viv’s voice is a perfect match for Faithfull as it possesses the same huskiness, the same crisp diction, and, in terms of stage presence, the same captivating, dissolute allure, all of it tinged with a powerful vulnerability.
Viv describes how Faithfull is still a template for survival for them and how they chose to focus in this show on the latter part of Faithfull’s career in order to underscore the poetry of those lyrics. Two years ago, when Viv turned 60, they premiered this at the famed Joe’s Pub in Greenwich Village. They explained that having hit that milestone personally, it was important to sing lyrics written from the perspective of an older woman in order to better express the depth and hard-earned wisdom of more mature folk.
For Kiki fans, though, the first shock is how sober and straight it all is. Viv appears perfectly coiffed in gorgeously tailored pantsuits that give off a vibe of the Upper East Side. They dive straight into Faithfull’s often dark and melancholic numbers. This is serious business.
Viv’s natural comic instincts can’t be totally allayed though, and they recount some great anecdotes about first hearing Faithfull as a teenager whilst stuck in a summer job in a suburban Dairy Queen. The cognitive dissonance induced after hearing Broken English inspired them to quit. Viv also describes with affection the few encounters (via Rufus Wainwright) they had with the great woman herself and the touching note sent to Viv on the night this premiered. Faithfull passed away last year.
There isn’t a weak one in this set, but particular standouts are ‘Broken English’, the luscious ‘Ballad Of Lucy Jordan’ and ‘She’ and Angelo Badalamenti’s ‘Bored By Dreams’, as well as songs Faithfull did with PJ Harvey and classics from Weill and Harry Nilsson. Together they contribute to a night of truth-telling, adding up to an ode to aging and artistry and the joy of being defiantly oneself.
And if you’re in New York in September, Viv will be celebrating the 35th anniversary of Marianne’s legendary comeback concert, Blazing Away, in the site where it was recorded, St. Ann’s Church in Brooklyn, with the world premiere of a new show, Flaming September.