Spy   

400 S. First St.
San Jose, CA 95113
408-298-1900
www.thespynightclub.com/

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Formerly known as the Usual (though many of you old timers may remember it as Club F/X), this literal cornerstone space of the SOFA club scene has long been one of the hippest spots to frequent for South Bay night crawlers. It may be the closest thing to New York's Limelight that Silicon Valley natives can experience, as evidenced by the abundance of bouncers talking into headsets and the velvet ropes that insure a line waiting outside the door. The set-up and general atmosphere of the Usual remains, although Spy's promise that patrons will be "taken captive by the industrial espionage theme" manifests itself in snaking metallic lights dangling over the back bar and the blacker-than-black decor of the club's main room. Themed club nights such as Thursday's House of Flavors (old-school hip-hop and club hits catering to the college crowd) and Tuesday's Flashback ('80s new wave) highlight the dance music-heavy schedule, although local and touring live acts will be returning to the club's roster in short order. For now, however, the crowd comes in droves to see and be seen, making the nightclub?s new moniker more appropriate than ever.