A POPULAR nightclub that helped to launch the careers of acclaimed pop stars is staging one last gig before it closes.

Coldplay, Muse and the Libertines appeared at the Cornerhouse, in Middlesbrough, before finding international fame.

Hidden under the town’s railway station, it has hosted live gigs, one-off club nights, art exhibitions and theatre shows to packed crowds.

But its owners have decided to close the venue, which opened in 1994, while they debate its future.

To celebrate the mark it has left on the Middlesbrough music scene, a farewell party will be held on Boxing Day.

Coldplay were booked for £125 only months before they secured a top five hit and started selling out stadiums.

Muse, who have headlined at Glastonbury, played for £100 on their first tour.

Other highlights include a set by stand-up comedian Johnny Vegas and a video installation by artist Janet Hodgson in collaboration with the Tate gallery.

Simon Bell, from Ladhar Leisure, which owns the lease on the building in Albert Road, said: “We are just going to shut the doors for a while, let the dust settle and think about the future.

“The Cornerhouse is a sleeping giant, and the only thing that we can say for sure is that one day it will reinvent itself, just like it always has in the past, and will return bigger and better than ever.”

Doors will open at 11pm on Sunday. Entry is £6.