HOT SPOTS: Barcode

3 STARS

4801 closner | edinburg, texas

www.myspace.com/barcodeclub

A name can make or break you, especially if you're a bar. Like magic words, a clever moniker can hypnotize crowds and dust a nightspot with instant charisma; idiotic names can do just the opposite.

Props to whoever came up with "Barcode."

While not as unforgettable a name as, say, the Cockpit Lounge in Austin, it's a snazzy match for the upstart establishment, the newest gay bar in the area. While that may not be a selling point for everyone, the fresh, rough-and-tumble vibe Barcode has to offer is a sweet deal that the adventurous clubhopper won't want to pass up.

AMBIENCE

So it kinda looks like a run-down fishing cabin on the outside, but doesn't inner beauty count? ... Don't answer that. Barcode's energetic interior takes a thrifty approach to the ultra-modernism popular with (and often overindulged by) ritzier clubs in town. The well-proportioned dance floor and main bar are outfitted with lasers, strobes and some neato space-age decor - picture a gay Starship Enterprise. On the dancefloor, the crowd is getting what they want -catchy clubthumpers that don't let up on the gas. Barcode is sexy in a rough-around-the-edges way. More renovations will help it keep that youthful complexion.

LOCATION

Who would've guessed the unremarkable south end of Business 281 (aka Closner) would have anything in common with Fourth Street in Austin? So yeah, not much, but every party district has to start somewhere. Barhoppers need only hop about a half-mile north to get to Montrose, the big mama of local gay hangouts. Barcode stradles the McAllen/Edinburg city limits and has easy access to Expressway 281. Lost? Stay south of Trenton. If Closner starts to merge with the frontage road, you've gone too far. Barcode is the orange, two-story building on the opposite side of the street from the Social Club.

THE CROWD

Regulars at Trade Bar or Montrose will know at least half the people here, who are mostly men in their 20s and 30s. The average Barcode type is likely out of the closet and definitely looking for a good time. Nobody's dressed like it's laundry day but attire does lean casual. The fashionistas who'd daringly mix, say, biker shorts, a pink tanktop and puffy tennis shoes are curiously absent. The crowd gets a little too swollen about 1 a.m., but an overarching good cheer keeps the mood sunny even when you're packed in like a sardine.

PRICE

Drink costs at gay clubs tend to skew higher than their hetero counterparts. Barcode isn't about to break with tradition. With $3.50 domestics, $4 imports and a $7 cover charge, how can you keep your tab down without shortchanging your buzz? Order a Pucker shot on Saturday night or a well drink Wednesday, each only $1. Mmm. That's better.

Brandon Garcia is editor of Festiva and Valley Life. You can reach him at (956) 683-4461.