SIXTY years of pop greats playing a town's concert venue will be celebrated in special grates surrounding the hall they once rocked.

The blasts from the past are part of the £3.8million renovation of the Blakey Moor and Northgate area of Blackburn.

The metal gratings will be at the base of six new trees being planted around King George's Hall where many of the 20th century ’s most influential bands and artists played sell-out gigs.

The specially-designed artworks, one for each decade, will commemorate memorable concerts such as David Bowie bringing Ziggy Stardust to the town in the 1973.

The Walk of Fame will start with the 1960s which saw The Beatles, Roy Orbison, Cilla Black, The Kinks and Blackburn's own The Four Pennies play 'KGH'.

The 1970s saw a string of gigs with punk headliners including The Buzzcocks, The Clash, The Jam and The Undertones.

Later stars to play the venue include Robbie Williams, The Stone Roses, Kaiser Chiefs, and Jake Bugg.

The project is part of the Blakey Moor Townscape Heritage Project. The metalwork, created by designer Stephen Caton, being installed late this summer when new paving has been finished.

Work to select the acts to be celebrated in each decade has almost been completed by a small team of local music lovers and creators.

Local music producer Pete Eastwood said: "King George’s Hall is a great venue with a great history of musical legends gracing the stage. It's a very positive move to highlight these special nights and to tip our hats to the fabulous acts past and present who played it.”

Cllr Phil Riley, Blackburn with Darwen Council's regeneration boss, said: “It’s a brilliant idea to celebrate Blackburn’s musical heritage in the new public space around Northgate. Picking the final list was good fun and we hope people will have as much fun examining the list of the bands included and arguing about those left out."

Visitors stepping onto the new paving will be able to discover some of the amazing musical heritage of King George’s Hall and enjoy reminiscing about the gigs they went to.

The full list of artists and gigs will form part of an online archive. Anyone wishing to submit information should email: julia.simpson@blackburn.gov.uk