I visited old Birmingham pub newly-transformed and uncovered secrets

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"Ahh, it feels strange walking in here again," Robson said as we strolled through the door of the old Kerryman pub.

The Digbeth boozer closed in the autumn of 2022 and for most of the stretch between then and Friday, May 23, it's been largely empty.

Read more: The 'cult' sign in an old Digbeth pub window that tells of secrets behind the door

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While on the outside the old Irish pub seemed to have been left to rot, inside cousins Jay-Jay and Jack were firing up the defibrillators to shock new life into the old dog.

The pair, new to owning bars but not to grafting in them, had laid out plans to open Spoilers, a cult movie-themed bar with a late night licence.

It's been a labour of love. I know that, not because I've heard it from them, but because you can see it in every tiny detail of the place now it's up and running at 81 Digbeth.

Inside the old Kerryman pub in Digbeth as it reopens as late-night rock bar

The outside has been painted purple, with a slime green ooze frothing out to show that this isn't your bog standard boozer.

"CULT CLASSIC LATE NIGHT BAR," the sign reads, in that same acid green, a dripping cartoon skull hanging on the sign.

Inside feels like a friendly clubhouse, packed with the kind of cool young dudes that rarely seem to make it out of the house here in 2025.

It's a safe space, I surmised, as I watched a throuple snogging as a long-haired rocker bounced by on the balls of his feet, disappearing with a flourish. It's a proper rock n roll bar. My

favourite kind of place.

The DJ span old-school metal bangers and some more modern floor fillers, though it was too early to fill the black and white checkerboard floor.

Instead, people stood around laughing, some screaming as they battled at air hockey. In the corner, a Mandolorian pinball machine pinged away.

Perhaps it was just launch weekend, but the place had a student union vibe, friendly and welcoming and full of cool people in cool garms.

Robson's eyes lit up at the quality of the Guinness and I supped an OK non-alcoholic beer, wishing for the 0% version of the black stuff. You can't win them all.

Past the DJ booth and the stage, backed by wicked custom UV reactive graffiti artwork, we followed the metal steps up to the roof terrace just to have a gander.

It's lined with spots to sit and, given the recent temperatures, had plenty of punters filling the space on our early visit.

I preferred being inside, though, even in the dying sunlight. The walls are pasted with cult film posters, Eraserhead and Pink Flamingos and Predator.

I sat in front of the pull-down movie screen and watched the 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film, a sensei to Robson who had never seen it.

We swooned at April, supped our bevs and I explained why there was a big rat being tied up. It was turtley awesome.

Everywhere you look there's little special secrets to spy, and I get the impression there's more to come as they settle in. "Hasta la vista, bab!" a sign reads on the rafter and I beamed at

a metal sewer cover set into concrete in the floor, branded with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles logo. Cute.

As we left, Colin - the DJ from old Eddies - was spinning heavy metal next door in Redcorc, the street alive with my kind of people.

I'm so excited for what's to come from Spoilers. Gimmick bars are all the rage here in 2025, with businesses focusing on games and extras to try and get people through the doors.

Spoilers might have a unique style, and the cult movie edge, but it's not a gimmick. It's just a friendly, welcoming, good vibes safe space pub, with as much heart as it has fanciful decor.

Spoilers is at 81 Digbeth High Street, B5 6DY. For the next few weeks it'll be open from 5pm until 12am Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 5pm until 4am on Fridays and from 4pm until 6am on

Saturdays.