Review: JUSTIN VIVIAN BOND DELIVERS A JULIE VALENTINE Is Sweet and Sultry at Joe's Pub

Justin Vivian Bond centered their latest Joe's Pub show "Justin Vivian Bond Delivers A Julie Valentine" around icon Julie London. Bond entered the stage, walking through the packed room of resounding applause, wearing a black dress with sequined appliquéd flowers. While only a handful of songs were actually sung by London, Bond said they like to imagine that the rest were songs she should have recorded, were she still alive. Indeed, Bond does the sweet serenades and rough ballads due justice. They know their audience through song choices, stories about backstage antics, and niche facts.

The last album Julie London recorded was "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy, " a departure from her earlier recordings. The night started with Bond's rendition, beautifully arranged by music director and accompanist Matt Ray.

Bond shared fun anecdotes from their own life and London's throughout the numbers. London apparently smoked "Three packs of cigarettes a day." Bond also cited London's divorce and their own grief, including the loss of their mother. They did this with earnest poise and humor, saying their stoic mother wouldn't take drugs until the end when the pain became unbearable.

Some highlights of the evening include the Eurythmics song "Love is a Stranger." Bond's version had controlled angst, hypnotizing the audience into the obsessive destruction of the "dangerous drug" of love. The band shone in every number, with Claudia Chopek on violin, Nath Ann Carrera on guitar, Bernice "Boom Boom" Brooks on the drums, and Mike Jackson on the Bass.

Another moment that stood out was Bond's performance of "Slow Hot Wind," which they crooned with effortless dreamy ease. Bond scored with "Light my Fire," which they said reminded them of a Joan Didion book, and they comically tried to remember which one. They had the audience in stitches as the song began, and they said, "What the f key are we in? Start the f-ing song over!" They found their note, and the song - an anthem of lust and desire - took on new meaning with Bond's grounded gravitas.

Of course, Bond had an encore, with three more songs, leaving the crowd sated but still never having enough of them. Bond's unique blend of cabaret, rock, and roll, and jazz evokes the timeless enchantment of grand dame romance.

All Photos by Grace Jordan.

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