by Lorie Lewis Ham

Downtown Fresno is becoming a great place to go for clubs and music. Newer choices like Fulton 55 and older clubs like Kuppajoe All Ages Nightclub, are among some of the most popular, with many more popping up all the time. One of the newest kids on the block is Victory Cafe at Hardy’s, another all ages club that had its first show in November of 2012.

Victory Cafe at Hardy’s Theater (In Partnership with Victory Church) is a Non-Profit Christian based all ages music venue located on the corner of Tulare and Van Ness. “Our Goal is to create a new location in Downtown Fresno with a positive atmosphere where people can come hangout and enjoy their night,” said Venue/General Manager Jesus Fernandez.

For the past seven years, the Hardy’s building, which seats 800 people on the first floor alone, has been the location of Victory Church, pastored by David Valencia. Last October, church staff member Jesus Fernandez pitched the idea of the club to Pastor Valencia. “I thought it would be a great idea to have a place Downtown where a younger crowd could enjoy a Friday night by coming to Hardy’s and hearing music from their local favorites.”

“There’s not many places downtown where younger people can come hangout on a Friday night,” continued Jesus. “The majority of places in the downtown area are 21 and over. Growing up in Fresno and being a music fanatic, I remember not being able to see some of my favorite bands simply because the venue sold alcohol and I was not old enough to be allowed inside. Here at Victory Cafe we do not sale alcohol of any sort. Profanity is not allowed by any bands that are performing on stage. We are trying to give the most positive atmosphere we can, while also making it fun for everyone who comes to our venue for one of our shows.”

Second story view of stage at Victory Cafe

Victory Cafe’s first concert with local bands such as Mercy Fist, Sea of Sound, and My Morning Rescue, brought in 100 people. After their first concert was so successful, the word spread about what a great stage and location it was and they began to be flooded with emails and phone calls. They decided to bring someone in with more experience in the area of booking and got in touch with local music promoter Clayton Miears. “He loved the venue and agreed to come in and help us get the venue going every Friday night,” shared Jesus.

“I want to thank Pastor David Valencia and Jesus Fernandez for giving me the opportunity to help get Victory Cafe at Hardy’s Theater off the ground,” said Clayton. “It’ll be great for the local Fresno music scene to have another all ages music venue. It’ll be great for Downtown Fresno as well because more people will be coming downtown for shows. My team and I look forward to helping this new music venue get off the ground and putting on great shows.”

Bands performing at Victory Cafe come from all over the state, as well as many local bands. Sea of Sound is one of the better known local bands that has played there more than once. “I’d say that the setting of Victory Cafe really encourages a band to bring energy to their performance,” shared Sea of Sound band member Zach Schuh. “The stage is large and accommodating, which provides somewhat of an incentive to occupy as much space as possible during your performance by being mobile and enthusiastic. It’s an exceptionally spacious venue that shows a great deal of potential to become one of Fresno’s future local music scene’s hotspots.”

February 5, 2013 Show with the band PK

Jesus stated that Victory Cafe hopes to become a hot spot venue in Downtown Fresno where people know that on Friday nights they can count on getting a great show and a place to relax and have a great time. If you get hungry while enjoying your favorite band there are refreshments for sale such as Nachos, Chips, Rockstars, Sodas, Coffee, and Bottled Water, all for $2 or less.

Keep up with Victory Cafe concerts by liking their Facebook page, following them on Twitter at @VictoryatHardys and on Instagram. You can also stay up to date on their shows, and those at Kuppajoe, on their KRL event page.

Their next show is on March 28 and features Sea of Sound, Beta State and Valkyrie Missile. More info on the KRL Event page.

Watch for a local band profile here in KRL on Sea of Sound in April.

Lorie Lewis Ham is our Editor-in-Chief and an enthusiastic contributor to various sections, coupling her journalism experience with her connection to the literary and entertainment worlds. Explore Lorie’s mystery writing at Mysteryrat’s Closet.