Poor Led Zeppelin fans. What should they do if they want to hear their favorite band in concert when there is little chance of a reunion, given Robert Plant and Jimmy Page's treatment of John Paul Jones, and the inability of the band to replace John Bonham?

Here's a hypothetical that should entertain those fans: What happens when four women perform covers of "Whole Lotta Love" and "Trampled Underfoot"?

"It's powerful. It's sexual. It's hard. It's all those things that in previous situations women really weren't supposed to be. We're all supposed to sit with an acoustic guitar and sing pretty little folk songs," Sarah McLellan said.

Meet Lez Zeppelin. Stepping in for Plant is McLellan. Substituting for Page is Steph Paynes. Replacing Bonham is Helen Destroy. Representing Jones is Lisa Brigantino. The group will perform at Diesel on Tuesday.

The flexibility of Led Zeppelin's catalog permits the tribute band to take creative risks, but it also challenges members to keep up.

"We feel they have such a broad range of material," McLellan said. "If we choose to play someone else's music, we want to make sure that the music we play is not gonna allow you to be bored if you're playing it all the time ... which we are. It's challenging, and it's something that allows for improvisation.

"There's something about delving even further and finding something you can relate their music to, and bring a part of yourself to the audience. "

As with all fans of classic rock, the members differ on what material they prefer listening to, but there are some shared tastes.

"We all have different ideas of what song we like playing live. In terms of a specific album, it's probably 'Physical Graffiti,' " McLellan said. "It's something that we all go back to. As a singer, I like the songs that get to something more emotive lyrically, and that's some of the easier stuff like "Since I've Been Loving You" or 'Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You.' I love playing 'In My Time of Dying' and 'Kashmir' -- anything that's really epic. I love the crowd reaction to a 'Whole Lotta Love' or 'Black Dog.' "

McLellan knows she and her bandmates fall short of replicating Led Zeppelin.

"I'm never going to sound like Robert Plant. I can sing in the same vein. I can sing with the same passion. But I'm never going to sound exactly like him. But what I think has been so wonderful about us getting together is that people started to embrace what we're doing and become Lez Zeppelin fans, beyond the fact that they're great Led Zeppelin fans.

"They come out almost expecting us to be some sort of gimmick or some sort of joke. Then we can get up there and, being professional musicians and being so invested in the music, when we do the show, they're kind of in awe We kind of turn those people around."

So what does it mean to be a Lez Zeppelin fan anyway? The group resists labels and guesswork.

"That's the kind of thing people find intriguing about our name and whether we are or aren't gay," McLellan said. "And for us, it doesn't matter. It shouldn't be relevant to what we're doing. We're four women, our name is Lez Zeppelin, we're getting up there, and we're playing well. It's about the passion, not about making a political statement. We're in a position where we feel like we don't have to answer that question."

There's an another reason why they won't answer the question. Their audiences have been described as including horny men and gay women. It wouldn't be sensible to alienate half the crowd with a clarification about their sexual orientation. The why Lez?

"It's such an easy thought. If you look at it, it's one letter different from the original. It came together very organically."

McLellan does feel the band has made a difference, though.

" We're all proud and overwhelmed by how we've been embraced. As a band, as an all-female band, and even as a tribute band, we have really got to the point now where we should not just be a tribute band. We're kind of transcending that. We're getting in this position where we're breaking down boundaries and setting precedents for things that can be done."