At a venue best known as a rock music hotbed, Robbie Williams was perhaps not the usual name you'd expect to see performing at Newcastle's Mayfair Ballroom.
But 25 years ago, the former Take That man took centre stage at a location that had famously hosted the likes of Pink Floyd, U2, Led Zeppelin, The Who, AC/DC and other giant rock acts over the decades. It was October 12, 1997, two years after parting acrimoniously from Gary Barlow and co, when Robbie performed at the iconic club that sat on the corner of Newgate Street and Low Friar Street.
The 23-year-old was in the midst of a UK theatre and club tour titled The Show Off Must Go On to promote his debut album, Life Thru A Lens. And if there was initial scepticism about the viability of the dancer turned singer's proposed solo career, those doubts would be smashed to pieces over time.
