Classic Led Zep album celebrated in Southampton

As drummer Graham Twist says, even if you don’t think you know much about Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin IV is the album you’ll know most tracks on.

The first half of the show will consist of a selection of songs from Led Zeppelin’s vast back catalogue.

The second half features the whole of Led Zeppelin IV played in the same sequence as the original LP.

“We have done the show quite a few times over the years. This was their biggest-selling album. It’s got such an eclectic range of styles.”

You get everything from hard rock to acoustic, plus of course you get Stairway To Heaven: “Any album with that on has got to be special. Most people know the songs.”

Graham admits it’s not his personal favourite: “I’d go for the earlier ones. I prefer either I or II. I’d be hard pushed to say which. They are a bit more raw, and I am not a massive fan of their acoustic stuff. I just the out and out rock!”

But IV was certainly the album that stepped things up: “I think they needed to change. They needed a big one at that point to take over the world, and they did. I do think they organised it - without making it sound like a business operation. But they had a good manager and they knew what they wanted to do.”

In all, the band was active for 11 and a half years, from late 68 through to September 1980 when the death of drummer John Bonham signalled the end. The band famously decided not to carry on without him.

In truth, by then, the heyday was over, Graham says: “By then when they were going out on tour, they almost had to prove themselves a bit. Their last album was not a resounding success. They were looking a bit like rock dinosaurs. They had to be a little bit more humble at the end of the 70s!”

Tickets on http://www.the-brook.com/tickets.shtml#onlinesales.