WHEN THE STARS HIT BELLE VUE

FASCINATING photos show the stars to play Manchester’s Belle Vue over the past century.

- DOMINIC MOFFIT

Though the Gorton arena, and its zoo, are both long gone, the memory of the amazing gigs held their will live on forever.

The likes of Led Zeppelin, Johnny Cash, Rod Stewart, Deep Purple, and Slade, all starred at the Belle Vue between the mid 1950s and 1982.

These amazing pictures take us through some of the best nights at the Belle Vue with rare shots of a 14-year-old Michael Jackson strutting his stuff on the King’s Hall stage.

It was 1972 and the young singer was performing with his brothers in the Jackson Five, long before solo fame would grant him the sobriquet the King of Pop.