Stellar Ichthyology - A Brief History of Club Space Fish

Was it all a dream? Certainly it was over too soon. 

Let's peel back the watery haze of decades, and go back to a mythical time called the 80s, where we find one of the hottest hotspots in Orlando history - the famous, and infamous, Club Space Fish.

At its peak, Club Space Fish was the central hub for the emerging Orlando music scene, providing a stage for local punk and indie bands, and a home for the underground-leaning music fans of Central Florida. More than a club, it was a community, nurturing bands and treating them as headliners, not just openers for touring acts. With frequent theme nights and special events, Club Space Fish found a rare sweet spot, combining theatrics, community, humor, and counterculture cachet - all with a seemingly unlimited supply of talented musicians burning up the stage each week. 

How did it all start? It's difficult to pinpoint an exact moment. It was, after all, more a state of mind than a concrete business plan. What would later mature into the rich caviar of local independent music began as roe in 1984 - when Michael Brown, of seminal synth-punk band Damage, founded Space Fish Records as an independent label devoted to local underground music. 

By 1988, he had teamed up with chum Michael Bales, lead singer for fan favorites Lovegods in Leisure Suits, and the two found they shared a similar sense of humor and appreciation for the absurd. They hatched a plan: make Space Fish a one-stop shop for all things alternative in Central Florida. Space Fish became an umbrella term for the record label, the national forest excursions of Camp Space Fish, and humor publication Splash Magazine. The duo spawned a series of one-off club nights at various locations, most notably the Beach Club on Orange Avenue in Downtown Orlando. (You may be more familiar with Beach Club as its later incarnations, Barbarella and Independent Bar.) 

In 1990, Beach Club owner John Gardner agreed to hand over every Wednesday night to Club Space Fish, and it was on! Each week, volunteers would welcome guests by hoisting a giant plywood Space Fish over the door, and decorating the inside for whatever event the two Mikes had cooked up. Never afraid to go overboard, the club hosted special theme nights ranging from the barbecue-centered Kiss the Cook, to the gladiator-themed Roman Orgy, to games of chance with the Wheel of Fish, and even to charity events like Mars Needs Tuna. Ear-splitting entertainment came courtesy of local bands Damage, Lovegods in Leisure Suits, Bloody Mary, Target Earth, Riddlers, and many more. It was loud, irreverent, and unapologetically fun - and local music fans were hooked.

In 1991, Club Space Fish would shore up and open its own dedicated space, on Church Street, in the former Negril Cove building. Friends, bandmates, and volunteers all chipped in and worked hard to make the club a success. Music fans were lured downtown by the promise of seeing major touring acts like the Damned, Pig Face, 7Seconds, Big Drill Car, The Mentors, and Murphy’s Law, not to mention a bouillabaisse of Florida bands from Orlando, Gainesville, Tampa, and Miami. 

With the club riding high at #1, it's poetic, albeit tragic, that it should be brought down by so much #2. Punk outlaw GG Allin brought his excrement-filled show to Club Space Fish in November 1991, and proceeded to make the usual mess of things. Fake outrage ensued - the club would be raided by the ATF, then reeled into court in a last-ditch attempt to save its liquor and business licenses. Alas, it was a fatal poison-tipped harpoon, and Club Space Fish was left flopping on deck, closing its doors soon after.

Though the club is long gone, the legacy of Club Space Fish lives on in the memories of the bands, patrons, and volunteers that made it all possible. It continues to serve as a DIY playbook for those who desire an alternative to music industry conglomerates and sleek, soulless nightspots. 

In the end, it was too good to last. Sounds fishy? Maybe. But for one shining moment, that fish swam its little heart out.