Presented by Whole Lotta Zepp
Reviewed 11th March 2017
Adelaide has spawned its fair share of Led Zeppelin tribute bands. They always seem to pack in the crowds, and newer kid on the block, Whole Lotta Zepp is no exception.
The delightfully down-to-earth Gaslight Tavern, was as crowded as I’ve ever seen it on Saturday night, with the usual cohort of baby-boomers and a handful of younger punters. Consisting of Raffaela Lampasi-oke on lead vocals, Nick Robinson on guitar, Andrew Schultz on bass and Kevin Robb on drums, the outfit has only been around for about a year, so many Zepp fans were keen to check them out.
Their set opened with the thumping beats of Good Times, Bad Times and then moved into such numbers as Livin’, Lovin’ Maid, The Lemon Song and What Is And What Should Never Be.
From the start, it was obvious that here are four people who are fine musicians, and who play with passion and boundless energy. The delivery was big, bold and confident. However, sound problems in the first few songs, especially poor fold-back, meant Lampasi-oke was flat. There was also constant feedback noise until about four songs in. One would have hoped that the sound-check would have prevented such basic issues. By the end of the first set, the group delivered tight versions of Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, and Stairway to Heaven, closing out before the break with Bonham’s drum-solo showcase, Moby Dick. Robb was certainly blistering, however he lacked the anarchic subtletly that makes this solo shine.
Second set began way too late, after a ridiculously long break. A few patrons even left. However, they opened that half with the fun, up-beat Rock’n’Roll, before moving onto a broad selection including Houses of the Holy, Custard Pie and Misty Mountain Hop, in between which one of the audience got up on stage and proposed to his girlfriend! Luckily, she said “yes”. All numbers in this half were delivered beautifully, except for D’yer Maker which was a disaster. The band finished the night with a fabulous version of Kashmir, before the compulsory encore of Whole Lotta Love.
By the time the gig ended, we had all been there for four hours, as it started late (a big no-no for a Fringe act), the break was too long, and they packed too many numbers in. This really showed near the end: the audience were exhausted and unable to muster the usual enthusiasm. Poor planning!
Whole Lotta Zepp are not quite there yet: some of the playing needs to be pared back and tightened up. However there is no doubting that they are a good, Zeppelin cover band, and with some more time to meld together, they could even be a great one.
The is certainly an outfit to watch.
Reviewed by Tracey Korsten
Twitter: @TraceyKorsten
Rating out of 5: 3 ½
One Night Only – Season ended
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