ATTEMPTING to mimic the sound of such a hugely-influential rock and roll band as Led Zeppelin and gain the backing of their fans would appear enough of a challenge.

To then also win over the band itself and have its members appear at your gigs would just seem plain greedy....

But then that is exactly what Led Zeppelin covers band Fred Zeppelin - who have been playing together for 11 years - have done.

The band - who formed over a love of the rock and roll act which stormed America and remain one of the most successful British acts in the USA - has played sell-out gigs the last three times they have been to Worcester.

And Led Zeppelin front-man Robert Plant - who Fred Zeppelin frontman Steven Gale bears a passing resemblance to - has also turned up to three of their concerts, while Led Zeppelin's drummer John Bonham's son, Jason, has also jammed with them on stage.

Fred Zeppelin have also turned down offers to play overseas - including in America and a Greek ampitheatre last year - instead opting to play the Midlands circuit where they have built up a keen following.

"I was a bit unsure at first about doing tributes because I enjoyed the music that much," said drummer Steve Black - who first saw Led Zeppelin play in Birmingham at the tender age of 15 and was bowled over by them.

"However, everyone seems to be great about it and people say we're doing it in the right spirit."

Now the band - who juggle daytime jobs with a gig or two a week - are returning to Worcester's Marr's Bar tonight, for what promises to be another evening of classic rock 'n roll.

Led Zeppelin were famous for their trademark bluesy rock and roll tunes including Whole Lotta Love, Rock and Roll, Ramble On, Dazed and Confused and Kashmir.

And with such an immense catalogue of classics to choose from, Fred Zeppelin are always unpredictable with their set list, also covering lesser known but equally remarkable songs such as Hey Hey and Travelling Riverside Blues - both of which never made it on to an album but featured on Led Zeppelin's box set.

Steve said even the epic much-played Stairway to Heaven - once covered by Australian cartoonist Rolf Harris and jokily banned from a guitar shop in the movie Wayne's World - is not out of the question.

Stairway requests

"We tried not playing it for a bit but then everybody started asking for it," he said.

"Songs like Rock and Roll and Heartbreaker get dropped in every night but there are 50 or so songs, so we go and play different things each night.

"It's great as we get 50-year-olds coming to see us play and they're bringing their 18-year-old children with them, which didn't happen in my day - I didn't like anything my parents liked!

"We've picked one of the best bands in the world to cover and it's not easy but we love it."

Doors open for the gig at 8pm and tickets are priced £8 in advance or £10 on the door.

Daft monkeys take their Cornish magic to Cave

THERE will be plenty of "monkeying around" in Malvern next week as west country band Three Daft Monkeys play a gig in the town.

The three-piece band comprises of Tim Ashton on vocals, 12-string guitar, penny whistle and bass drum; Athene Roberts on violin, vocals, recorder and percussion; and Jamie Waters on bass guitar.

The group - who hail from Cornwall - fuse together Celtic, Balkan, gipsy, Spanish and Cornish music together with dance, ska, reggae and traditional folk for a mix that

The band have already been well-received playing gigs at venues and festivals across Europe and were recently featured on Radio Three.

They will be performing at The Cave in Malvern Youth Centre on Albert Road North, Great Malvern, on Saturday, November 6.

Four-piece Worcester band The Alienz - who formed two years ago and whose set largely consists of covers of popular songs - will play a support slot.

The event starts at 8pm and tickets, priced at £7 (£5 concessions), are available in advance from The Malvern Bookshop in Great Malvern.

TRAVIS-SINGLES

(out now)

FOR anyone who wasn't conscious in 1999 (or maybe hiding indoors suffering Pre-Millennium Tension) Travis were the Scottish indie-rock band who practically took over Britain with their massive album The Man Who - shooting them to superstar status almost overnight and spawning a handful of huge hits.

Five years is a long time in music though, and the band have since had mixed fortunes with their two subsequent albums, in the process becoming the Marmite of the music world (you either love them or hate them).

The mark they made is indisputable, the essence of which is captured in this 17-track, hour-long musical roller-coaster ride featuring all of their hits including the anthemic Turn, Flowers In The Window and Byrds-esque Coming Around.

ALEX CUBA BAND with RON SEXSMITH-LOS MISMO QUE YO

(IF ONLY)

(out Monday, November 1)

THE talented Alex Cuba Band team up with critically acclaimed singer- songwriter Ron Sexsmith for this rich, heartfelt track bound to warm the cockles of the heart on those cold winter nights.

The band is made up of the sons of the renowned Buena Vista Social Club musicians who are also joined by two-time Grammy Award winning pianist Chucho Valdes.

Ron aired the track when he played Worcester earlier this month and now fans have the chance to hear it again.

MARJORIE FAIR -WAVES

(out now)

LIKE a blast of fresh air through a dusty room, Waves is the new single from Los Angeles band Marjorie Fair, who are best described as the Yanks' take on Manchester band The Doves.

Sun-drenched melodies and joyous harmonies result in a tune which sounds like the soundtrack to a long-lost summer.

Also features the mesmerising True Lovers with distorted piano sounds and the dreamy What I Said.

SEAL-WALKON BY,BEST OF 1991-04

out now, Monday, November 8, respectively

THE silky-voiced singer has enjoyed a 14-year career to date, notching up 13 million album sales, three Grammy awards, three Brit awards and seven top 20 singles.

This and the clutch of successive singles throughout the nineties and into the 'noughties' (including the excellent Killer and love song Kiss From a Rose) made him a household name and all appear on his greatest hits compilation.

Preceding that is a tepid new single of the Burt Bacharach classic Walk On By which, along with the awful Fly Like An Eagle, lessens the impact of what is otherwise a pretty good collection from one of the finest singing voices around.

Destined for many a Christmas stocking.