Despite spending the last decade-plus devoting her time to their music, there wasn't a whole lotta love when Steph Paynes first heard the music of Led Zeppelin.
Okay, there was a little but the guitarist spent many years pursuing other musical interests. “It wasn't something I held above everything else musically,” she says.
“I was much more into jazz as a teenager. It was only later that I came to fully appreciate what they'd done.
“When I became more of a seasoned musician, I definitely saw how many bands were being compared to Zeppelin – or even called the new Zeppelin. It made me realise the craft of what they were doing, and frankly how much better they were than all of these bands that were supposedly just like them.”
Around the turn of the century, Paynes took it upon herself to put her love of the Led to use by forming a cover band entirely dedicated to the songs that remain the same.
They ended up with the name Lez Zeppelin after a suggestion from Steph's mum. “I was laughing hysterically – I almost fell off my chair,” she recalls. “Imagine hearing your own mother say that!”
Being an all-female band, however, was never picked as some sort of gimmick. As Paynes reasons, it was all about the energy that a Led Zeppelin cover band deserved. “I thought it would be much more fun,” she says.
“I'd been in one other all-girl band that was great – it was super-heavy and powerful. That made sense for a Zeppelin band to me. It was about having that little bit of magic, and having the right people to truly fit the bill.”
The band played their first show in 2004 and Paynes has served as the band's sole constant throughout. “You know what they say: The guitarist remains the same,” she quips.
Lez Zeppelin has gone on to countless tours of their homeland in North America as well as appearances in Japan, India and the UK. They've recorded two albums, including a total remake of Zeppelin's self-titled debut album using the same vintage gear.
For all their success, however, they certainly had to work harder to be seen as the real deal as far as cover bands were concerned. “When we were first starting out, we were contacted out of the blue by someone in a Led Zeppelin tribute band from the other side of the country.
“They were calling us a tribute band, and to be completely honest I had no idea what that even was. When I looked it up, I knew instantly that we were not that. That is not what we wanted to be. Lez Zeppelin are not impersonators. We're not posturing up there in wigs with the costumes on, under some sort of guise that we believe we're actually Led Zeppelin.
“That side of things was never my intention with this band. It was always about the music to me. This band isn't about being accurate right down to the last note. We just want to play these songs with fun and with passion, the way they were intended.”
Lez Zeppelin's next port of call will be a tour of Australia, hitting capital cities as well as regional centres. It marks the first time any of the band has ever been here and their excitement is palpable.
“It will be the first visit and hopefully not the last. We know you guys love your rock & roll down there, so we can't wait to come play it for you.”
Lez Zeppelin 2019 Tour Dates
Thu 21 Mar - Port Macquarie PanthersFri 22 Mar - Coffs Harbour Golf Club
Sat 23 Mar - The Coolangatta Hotel (Gold Coast)
Sun 24 Mar - The Triffid (Brisbane)
Thu 28 Mar - Lizotte’s Newcastle
Fri 29 Mar - Waves (Wollongong)
Sat 30 Mar - The Bridge Hotel (Sydney)
Sun 31 Mar - Brothers Leagues Club (Cairns)
Thu 4 Apr - The Basement (Canberra)
Sat 6 Apr - Memo Music Hall (Melbourne)
Sun 7 Apr - The Barwon Club (Geelong)
