From Acca Dacca to Led Zeppelin
It was late 2023 when Larry sat down with his son Jesse and close friend and bass player Ian {Squirty} Graham, at a bar in Cairns Airport after a show there with their band ACCA DACCA, and came to the realisation that sadly it was time for me to give up performing for good as his health and age was starting to catch up with him.
After 50 Hard years in the rock business up front playing bass and singing for bands like SNAKE in the 80s, along with countless other original and cover acts, Larry eventually ditched the superstar dream and formed ACCA DACCA and The Australian AC/DC Story in 2000. ACCA DACCA eventually toured Europe four times and was the very first concept of its kind to be toured internationally by Live Nation Czech Republic.
After multiple line-up changes over the 23-year span, 96 players to be exact, Larry’s son Jesse was growing up and had rock running through his young veins. Jess first picked up drumming at a very tender age, as a matter of fact Larry bought him his first real kit when he was just four years old, and at 14 he was good enough to take over the drum spot in ACCA DACCA.
Jess sat behind the drums until he was around 15, but while they were having a break trying to find a guitarist to fill the Angus spot, Jess being already a pretty proficient bedroom guitarist decided to lock himself in his room for a month and learn Angus riffs back to front. Result? Best fuckin’ Angus they ever had!!! It didn’t hurt that he was still a schoolboy too! The fact that Larry got to sing on stages all over the world with his son beside him making his SG scream was nothing less than Electrifying, pardon the pun, and is something Larry will always cherish.
The Led Zeppelin Show Was Born
As mentioned, while sitting in Cairns Airport with throat issues, they were at a crossroads. What to do? Jess always had a strong rock voice and for a while they threw around the idea of him fronting ACCA DACCA and finding another Angus, but after much deliberation, they decided it was time to put that baby to bed and start something new.
After listening to Jess belt out a few Brian Johnson numbers in a rehearsal, Larry couldn’t help notice it sounded more like Robert Plant singing Hells Bells, so he dared ask the question, ‘Why don’t we put together a Led Zeppelin show?’ The response was not what he expected at all! It was a unanimous ‘Fuck Yeah’!
Finding The Right Musicians
So, the seed was planted! Sorry, for another pun! They also agreed that if they were going to do this it had to be different and not just another tribute band! They wanted to celebrate not only the music but also the stories of this legendary band, although for now, the first task was to find above average players to complete the line-up. You don’t play this type of rock with a beer on your amp and a joint in your mouth. This is serious stuff!!
The Guitarist
The first question they had to answer was did they know anyone who could play guitar like Jimmy Page? Larry suggested they ask Dean, their rhythm guitarist for ACCA DACCA. Dean is actually a phenomenal lead guitarist, but they boys didn’t think he’d be interested in that sort of style. Yet when they walked into the bar after returning the hire car and they asked him, they soon found out that Dean grew up idolising Jimmy Page, so his response, another ‘Fuck Yeah!’
The Drummer
Apparently finding the right drummer was a challenge, but after a couple of false starts, they eventually settled on John Dempsey, who’s a powerhouse and his Bonham inspired solo is absolutely mind-blowing. As Larry states, “When we originally came up with the Led Zeppelin idea we were determined that if we were going to do this, we were going to do it right and as accurately as possible, which meant hand picking the best.”
The Keyboardist
When it came to the keyboards, it was Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones who dropped the bass and handled that, however as great a bass player as Squirty is he’ll be the first to tell you he’s no keys man. So they went on the hunt for their one-man orchestra. It wasn’t long before they signed up Lionel, and the line-up was complete, meaning there was no time to rehearse!
After the boys learnt front to back no less than 26 songs, they booked a studio for a 14-day lockout. But after coming in on the seventh day, they collectively decided they were more than ready to start the show. And while the boys had been hard at work rehearsing, Larry was busy putting the accompanying narration and backing video effects together.
A Theatre Show
The Life and Times of Led Zeppelin Show is designed to be performed in the theatre environment, however on the odd occasion they do play the show at pubs or clubs, but on these occasions the show is performed as Zepplin, which is just the music. Having said that, these particular shows are few and far between and only reserved for a select few venues who have been good to them over the years such as, The Kickstart Saloon and The Silkwood Hotel.
The show is now into its second year of performing this one-of-a-kind Rockumentary with most venues selling out fast, and the boys have been receiving standing ovations with some amazing after- show reviews. And the exciting news? They now intend on broadening their touring circuit to include all the major cities of Australia and NZ in the coming years, so keep an eye out for Zeppelin touring near you.
For more information you can check out www.livewire-touring.com or their FB Page events. And trust me when I say, The Life & Times of Led Zeppelin is not to be missed!
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