Mayfair Ballroom

54°58′19″N 1°36′58″W / 54.972°N 1.616°W / 54.972; -1.616

Mayfair Ballroom was a ballroom and concert hall situated on Newgate Street in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The oblong room was built to hold 1,500 people and had a small stage along one of the longer walls.[1] It was opened in September 1961 by the Mecca organisation.[2]

Artists that played the venue, early in their careers, include AC/DC, The Who, Free, Pink Floyd, Queen,[3] the Police, Shy, the Prodigy, Black Grape, the Cross, Kylie Minogue, Daft Punk, Tin Machine, U2, the Clash, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Faith No More, Judas Priest, Bodycount and Nirvana, The Glitter Band among others.[1]

Led Zeppelin's first ever live performance in the United Kingdom was at the Mayfair Ballroom on 4 October 1968, albeit billed as "The Yardbirds featuring Jimmy Page".[4] Free's final live performance in the UK took place at the venue on 20 October 1972. At the end of the show, guitarist Paul Kossoff broke the neck of his cherished Les Paul guitar after uncharacteristically throwing it into the air in frustration.[5]

In 1999 the Mayfair was demolished and replaced with a retail and entertainment venue called The Gate.[6] The closing night was attended by 5,000 people.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b The Clash Mayfair, Newcastle - 12 June 1980 Archived 6 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Morton, David (September 13, 2021). "Newcastle's Mayfair Ballroom - how the legendary venue was born 60 years ago". ChronicleLive.
  3. ^ Morton, David (July 9, 2021). "Rock giants Queen conquered Newcastle United's St James' Park 35 years ago". ChronicleLive.
  4. ^ Dave Lewis (1994), The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9
  5. ^ ""Kossoff damaged his own '59 Les Paul and borrowed Ramm's for the encore. He agreed to swap it for his damaged guitar once it had been repaired": A 1968 Gibson Les Paul played by Free's Paul Kossoff is up for auction". Guitar World. 27 November 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
  6. ^ David Morton (28 May 2013). "Legendary Mayfair nightclub in Newcastle is still a miss". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
  7. ^ Morton, David (August 21, 2019). "Newcastle's Mayfair Ballroom closed its doors 20 years ago". ChronicleLive.
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