Darlington venues of the past are a great thing to look back on and remind people of the pubs, bars, clubs and music venues that used to be in the area, or let people know what places used to be in their town. 

And what better way of exploring these venues than a look into the past with some archive photos and memories of different gigs at these venues? 

The year was 1964 and the venue was The Majestic Ballroom in Darlington.

Remembering Paul Jones & Manfred Mann at Majestic Ballroom Darlington:

Tom McGuiness, Manfred Mann, Paul Jones, Mike Hugg and Mike VickersTom McGuiness, Manfred Mann, Paul Jones, Mike Hugg and Mike Vickers (Image: IAN WRIGHT) As crowds started to gather at the venue to catch a glimpse of Paul Jones and Manfred Mann, something special was in the air, according to photographer for The Northern Echo at the time, Ian Wright, who covered the event for the newspaper. 

Packing out the ballroom, Mr Wright, who has kindly provided several images of the gig, said that it was a "sweaty" event, with the band giving "110 per cent". 

As documented in the photos by the former Echo photographer, the band caused 'chaos' at the Darlington venue, with the crowd seen going wild for the performers. 

The Majestic Ballroom in DarlingtonThe Majestic Ballroom in Darlington (Image: IAN WRIGHT) In other images, which are all in black and white, the band can be seen pictured backstage.

Mr Wright recalls: "There must have been over 500 hundred fans. I recall the sweat coming from the group, as always they gave 110 per cent on such a small stage."

Crowds at the gig at the Majestic Ballroom in DarlingtonCrowds at the gig at the Majestic Ballroom in Darlington (Image: IAN WRIGHT) These memories of the Darlington gig come after Paul Jones himself reminisced about gigs and touring around the North East. 

Jones sprung to prominence in the early 60s as lead vocalist with Manfred Mann with whom he had several hit records including ‘Do Wah Diddy Diddy’ and ‘Pretty Flamingo’, ‘54321’ and ‘If you Gotta Go – Go Now’.

The stage at the gig in DarlingtonThe stage at the gig in Darlington (Image: IAN WRIGHT) During those million-selling days of the '60s and '70s, Jones was also a regular in the cabaret and music venues in the Nort East.

The musician said: “They were great times and I have so many memories of the area from that period. The Manfred Man fan club was based in the area for a lengthy period so it was a place that I would visit often.

The front row crowd at the gigThe front row crowd at the gig (Image: IAN WRIGHT)

“The Top Hat in Spennymoor was special as we would perform for a full week on a fairly regular basis. We always stayed at a family-run guest house which was run by some lovely people. 

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“They were special times and hard to imagine that some sixty years on the songs from that period still evoke happy times for a generation."

He added: "I often see three generations now at live gigs; the music from that time has been passed down through so many families.

“We played many venues around the patch – The Club Fiesta in Norton was another that opened up in 1965 as we were having huge hits and was under the guidance of Teesside brothers Jim and Keith Lipthorpe. They brought the biggest names to Teesside which up to that point had been mostly in London and Manchester."