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It was once the edgiest place in town, attracting the word's biggest bands to its iconic stage - but 30 years later Cleveland's Variety Theater is silent. 

The venue was renowned for its rock concerts but everything changed in 1984 when heavy metal band Motorhead played a gig so loud it literally began to bring the house down.

As the crowd went wild over the group's unique ear-shattering brand of music, the ceiling cracked and pieces of plaster began to fall on the audience - ending the concert and the life of the Variety Theater in one deafening shriek.

Abandoned for 30 years: The Variety Theater in Cleveland was once a buzzing music venue but was closed down after the ceiling cracked during a Motorhead gig in 1984

The power was cut off to stop the band from playing and two years later a judge ordered the theater to be sealed off for good.

Built in 1927, The Variety Theater was home to one of the earliest single screen cinemas in Cleveland, Ohio, before becoming an iconic music venue.

The 20,000 sq ft main stage hosted the likes of Metallica, the Dead Kennedy's and R.E.M. before Motorhead's fatal performance on December 2 1984.

Since then it has stayed abandoned and hidden from public eye until now, thirty years later, a photographer has captured a collection of eery images offering a fascinating glimpse into music history.

Seph Lawless, the 37-year-old photojournalist from Cleveland who took these incredible pictures, said: 'I'm Cleveland born and raised and I've always been into rock and roll.

'This theater has gone down in folklore in my hometown and it always had that air of mystery when we were kids growing up.

Crumbling and rotting remains: The once-iconic Ohio venue was sealed off on the order of a judge in 1986, two years after Motorhead's gig

'It was really inspiring to go in and photograph the theater, it's something I've always wanted to do and at times it actually felt like I was stepping back in time.

'I love rock and roll music so it was just incredible, it was like a time capsule to that era and that all the bands who performed there were captured in the fabric of the building.'

Seph is a photojournalist specialising in nostalgic pictures. He recently completed a trip around the United States where he took photographs of abandoned or neglected buildings in every state.

Due to the efforts of The Friends of the Historic Variety Theater, an organization that owns the huge building, a scheme to regenerate the venue have been given a new lease of life.

The group is said to have plans to spruce up the theater section of the building, turning it into a music venue once more.

Slow decay of time: Many of the theater's wooden seats have fallen into disrepair while the staircase shows the effects of years of decay

Renowned venue: Before its closure, the theater hosted concerts from bands including Metallica, the Dead Kennedy's and R.E.M.

Hidden from view: The stunning pictures were taken by 37-year-old photojournalist Seph Lawless, who has lived in Cleveland all his life

Silent halls: The walls are cracked and chipped and the tiles on the floor have rotted after three decades of abandonment 

Ruled to be unsafe: The venue was closed after the ceiling cracked and pieces of plaster began to fall on the audience during a 1984 gig

Open for half a century: Built in 1927, The Variety Theater was home to one of the earliest single screen cinemas in Cleveland, Ohio, before becoming an iconic music venue

Regeneration: The Friends of the Historic Variety Theater have plans to spruce up the theater section of the building and rent out the structure’s eight retail store-fronts

Dated equipment: Most of the building's machinery has been languishing for years since the venue's unfortunate closure

1920s-style décor: The theater had kept its vintage style for decades and left everything untouched when it was sealed up in 1986 

Enticing: Mr Lawless said the theater 'has gone down in folklore' in Cleveland and always 'had that air of mystery' to it when he was a child

Fatal concert: During Motorhead's 1984 gig, the power was cut off to stop the band from playing and two years later the venue was cosed

A glimpse of the past: A peek through a broken piece of wall reveals the lit up stage of the Variety Theater in dramatic fashion

Fascinating history: There are now plans to restore the decaying building to a live music venue

Coated in dust: Mr Lawless is a photojournalist specialising in nostalgic pictures. He recently completed a trip around the United States where he took photographs of abandoned or neglected buildings in every state