Hopes for a triumphant world tour from a reunited Led Zeppelin have now been dashed for good. Bassist John Paul Jones has confirmed that the band’s upcoming shows will go ahead with a new singer standing in for Robert Plant.

There was a false flurry of excitement back in September when The Sun reported Plant “couldn’t face the thought of not being involved” in reunion plans. Since when is that reputable news source wrong? Plant swiftly replied with a statement quashing the rumours. “It’s both frustrating and ridiculous for this story to continue to rear its head when all the musicians that surround the story are keen to get on with their individual projects and move forward.”

Jones has now told BBC Radio Devon that the remainder of Led Zeppelin is rehearsing with “a couple” of replacement frontmen.

“It’s got to be right. There’s no point in just finding another Robert,” Jones told the station. “You could get that out of a tribute band, but we don’t want to be our own tribute band. There would be a record and a tour, but everyone has to be on board.”