Lovegods in Leisure Suits — A Brief History
The Lovegods in Leisure Suits began in 1987 in the sweaty, beer-soaked corners of Central Florida's fledgling punk scene, when singer Michael Bales and bassist Tom Arline discovered they shared two important things: a love of loud, strange music and an absurd sense of humor.
One night, after watching yet another posturing, womanizing scenester, Michael muttered, "All this guy needs is a leisure suit and he'd be a real lovegod." And the band's name was born on the spot.
Musically, the Lovegods pulled inspiration from everywhere — the trashy cool of The Cramps, the twitchy weirdness of Devo, the political snarl of Dead Kennedys and Crass, with a dash of old blues for good measure — all wrapped in the polyester swagger of 1970s lounge culture. Guitarist Kevin Berve (aka Road Narrows), answering a "Musicians Wanted" ad, added a rock and blues backbone to the mix.
With Kevin's brother filling on drums, they recorded their first demo cassette, Life in a Dacron Hell, in 1987. Songs like Science Is Getting Better, Lust for Food, and Good God Gone Bad established the template: loud, fast, sarcastic, and slightly unhinged. By year's end, Rich Thibault joined on drums, bringing prog-rock instincts and a fondness for odd time signatures to the party.
Decked out in leisure jackets and polyester shirts, the band tore through house parties and dive bars in Orlando and Gainesville with a live show that felt equal parts punk gig and retro lounge nightmare.
Space Fish, Club Space Fish, and General Mayhem
At one particularly chaotic house party, Michael met Michael Brown of synthpunk outfit Damage. Michael Brown had founded Space Fish Records, a local DIY label that became a hub for underground Central Florida music. The two Michaels hit it off, and the Lovegods were welcomed to the Space Fish roster.
In 1989, the label released the first full-length Lovegods LP, Come Here Often? — a blast of sarcasm, speed, and style featuring Lovegod, Fashion Horse, epic blues banger 7 or 11, and a thoroughly inappropriate cover of Bee Gees' How Deep Is Your Love.
Space Fish soon commandeered Wednesday nights at The Beach Club in downtown Orlando, transforming it into the infamous Club Space Fish. Theme nights ranged from Kiss the Cook to Roman Orgy to Wheel of Fish to charity oddities like Mars Needs Tuna. Local bands, touring acts, and general weirdness flourished.
On the Road
The Lovegods began spreading their polyester gospel across the Southeast — Tampa, Miami, Atlanta, Pensacola — opening for 7 Seconds at UCF and Scream at UF. They traveled to New York City for the CMJ Music Marathon, then hit the East Coast on the "Freakshow Tour" with Damage, bringing leisure suits to audiences from Florida to Connecticut.
Lineup Changes and Musical Evolution
In 1990, Kevin and Tom departed. Guitarist Robert Wainwright and bassist Chuck Curameng stepped in, ushering in a heavier, more hard-rock and metal-leaning phase that produced Groove On It. Tracks like Propaganda, The Day Elvis Presley Died, and a funked-out take on You Sexy Thing showed a band growing musically without losing its sense of absurdity.
The album earned the Lovegods a "Best Band" Jammy Award from Jam Magazine, capped by a surreal performance at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre featuring go-go dancers gyrating on multicolored platforms.
More lineup shifts followed, with Jason Ackerman and Sean Cote joining for the band's final, most theatrical incarnation — complete with lighting effects and the RPM dance troupe. The Lovegods called it quits in 1992 after a Fur Is Dead show at the Beacham Theater.
And Then… 34 Years Later
In 2026, nearly the entire extended Lovegods family will reunite for one final spectacle: the Club Space Fish reunion show at Conduit in Winter Park, Florida.
Polyester will be donned once more. The sarcasm will remain intact. And for one night, the Lovegods in Leisure Suits will return to remind everyone that punk rock, disco fashion, and absurd humor were always meant to go together.
Accomplishments / Awards
- Selected to perform at CMJ Seminar in New York City (1989)
- Winner of "Best Band" and "Best Guitarist"; nomination for "Best Vocalist" in Orlando's local JAMMY Awards (1990)
- Selected to perform at Southeastern Music Seminar in Tampa (1991)
- Received "Best Band" and "Best Vocalist" nomination in Orlando's JAMMY Awards (1991)
Press
They are an invigorating, irreverent, lascivious, and blasphemous laugh riot, but they rock too damn hard to be dismissed as a mere 'comedy act'…they're like Nolan Ryan and pork rinds — a national treasure.
Alternative Press
These folks are kings of everything in the world that is cheesy.
Maximum Rock'n'Roll
Conceptual and comedic 4-piece hard rock/punk outfit with a hard-driving take on 70s hard rock and early 80s punk blended with a liberal dose of 90s irreverence.
Music Players Magazine
Energy, intensity, and message — the Lovegods have plenty to go around.
JAM Entertainment News
A fun punk band from Florida.
Option Magazine