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. Last summer, they 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 last year 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. (Note: This is an edited version of a piece I did for Playgirl.)

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