Tues.  April 2

    They got the Kennedy honors and they looked pretty chufffed - Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul JojnesThe name of the band is Lez Zeppelin and guitarist-bandleader Steph Paynes says, “It always elicits some response. It’s the greatest band name ever.” 
     And what do people glean about the band from the name? “They know we’re all girls and we’re playing Led Zeppelin. As to the other implications, whatever that may be or not be” – we’re talking sexual orientation here – “we believe in a good dose of mystery. It’s so rare these days.”
    Lez Zeppelin play the Middle East Downstairs Tuesday April 2. Now, there are many bands playing the “tribute” circuit. Tribute bands play the music of a particular band, be it Tool, U2, or KISS. Some try to look exactly like their counterparts; they all try to approximate the sound. But few of these bands rise to prominence. Lez Zeppelin may just be the exception to that rule.  Consider: Their eponymous debut CD was produced by Eddie Kramer, who also worked with Led Zeppelin. They play the hell out of the songs, and truly bring Zeppelin back to life, albeit with, as Paynes says, “some twists.” They play rock clubs that generally book original music – that is, they’re not part of the tribute circuit. They've played a prominent heavy metal festival in England. They tour internationally. Spin put them on its cover, calling them “quite possibly the most powerful all-female band in history” The New Yorker says “these ladies channel the sonic bombast of Led Zeppelin and gleefully invert the band’s original sexual essence.” A critic for the Times of London opined “They are the best new band I’ve seen all year, no question.”
      New? Well, yes sort of. They began four years ago, but have been together two years with the present lineup, which includes singer Sarah McLellan, bassist-keyboardist Lisa Brigantino and drummer Helen Destroy. But the material isn’t, of course, new. How do they transcend that?
  “We’re doing this is a sincere and reverent way, without sounding corny,” says Paynes. “We have total respect for the music. People enjoy we’re girls. It’s a very sexy act. But the music we take extremely seriously. It’s not meant to be a piss-take. It’s the emotion you play with and the way you feel the power.”
     The women were in Cambridge talking before a gig at the Middle East. Destroy likens people going seeing Lez Zeppelin to people going to see a symphony orchestra play the classics. “Nobody asks a classical musician ‘Why don’t you play your own stuff?’’’ she says. “I get to play the drum parts of the most famous and respected rock drummer in the world. Why the hell would I want to do anything else?”
     The point: Lez Zeppelin is playing a classic repertoire, music from a band that no longer exists. Why not kick it up? Paynes: “We’re just gonna present ourselves like classical musicians who would interpret Beethoven. We’ve created our little vibe to it and bring ourselves to it.” Tickets: $20. Show should get underway 9-ish. 

472 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-864-3278 www.middleeastclub.com