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With tales of TV's being hurtled out of windows, riding motorbikes along hotel corridors, and more groupies and illegal substances than you can shake a double necked Gibson guitar at - Led Zeppelin were the original hell raisers of rock 'n' roll.

But before the sold-out stadium shows and God-like worship from their millions of fans, The Zep had to ply their trade, like most other bands in rock's history, in the smaller, quieter pubs and clubs across Britain.

And that's exactly what brought them to the Argus Butterfly pub in Peterlee, on March 23 1969. Dave Richards and Brian Stoker booked the super group for the paltry sum of 拢100.

"Agents would send us different lists of bands and prices," says Dave. "Led Zeppelin basically developed from the Yardbirds, and I liked the Yardbirds, so we thought 'lets have Led Zeppelin'."

Dave and Brian outside the Argus pub

"The crowd was fantastic" says Brian. "It was standing room only, you couldn't move, and people were stood watching in amazement. But what we didn't know was that people were climbing in through the windows to see them - it was amazing."

As well as watching his heroes perform in an intimate venue, Brian also recalls speaking to lead guitarist Jimmy Page.

"After the gig, I said to Jimmy Page 'did you enjoy it?', and he said 'yeah, great atmosphere', so I said 'so you'll come back, yeah?', and he said 'yeah, no problem'. I then asked him where they were playing next month and he said Hollywood Bowl, and that was the last we heard from them!"

But what about Led Zep's mischievous reputation, did it precede them?

"They were great performers on stage, natural lads. But backstage, we did see stuff going on occasionally, but they were great lads."

And Zeppelin weren't the only big names to play at the Argus Butterfly.

"We got offered an up and coming star for 拢100, and I said there's no way we're paying that. I asked who is was and they said Elton John. I lived to regret it, I would have paid 拢100 myself to have had the privilege to have him on, but that's life."

The rocket man wasn't the only one to slip through their grasp either.

"We just missed out on Procol Harlem and Pink Floyd," says a disappointed looking Brian. "We booked Floyd but nearer the time they were due to play their agent rang me up and said they'd have to pull out because their price had sky rocketed."

You can tell by his facial expression he's still gutted about that to this very day.

But those that did play have given both Dave and Brian many special memories. "Looking back we made some great friends," says Brian. "Like Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull, and we talked to Jimmy Page and Paul Rodgers. It was such a great experience."