The release of Taylor Swift’s newest album, ‘The Tortured Poets Department’, has led to an influx of fans to The Black Dog pub in Vauxhall, South London. Making a reference to the establishment in one of the songs on the album, “And your location, you forgot to turn it off / And so I watch as you walk / Into some bar called The Black Dog / And pierce new holes in my heart”. Although staff at the pub are unaware whether Swift or her ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn, who lives in the same area as the pub, have visited in the past, they are excited by the surge in custom they have experienced recently.
Amy Cowley, an employee at the pub, has described the “Taylor Swift effect”, which has seen hundreds of Swifties visiting The Black Dog to claim a free ‘Swift half’ of their house lager. The offer is granted to anyone who quotes a lyric from a Taylor Swift song. “We’re super excited. It was a great atmosphere last night with the fans. We’re not sure if she visited. She might have done – we wouldn’t even know. It’s a possibility but it’s great to keep her fans in suspense”, says Cowley. She adds that The Black Dog has members of the team who are “big Swifties”, and that they are making plans for her upcoming Wembley shows after last night’s busy affair.
The Tortured Poets Department is Swift’s latest album, released on April 19. Fans have speculated that many of the album’s songs are about her brief relationship with The 1975’s Matty Healy, although some critics have been less complimentary about the album. In a three-star review, NME wrote: “‘The Tortured Poets Department’ ends up chasing its own tail with frenzied attempts to respond to critics despite Swift’s current stature”. Despite the mixed reception, hundreds of Swift’s admirers have sought out The Black Dog pub, just as their icon did.
In a bid to celebrate the publicity and growing custom, The Black Dog has been offering patrons who quote Taylor Swift lyrics a free half of house lager. Cowley explained: “We have members of the team who are big Swifties, on Friday, everyone got a swift half of our Black Dog lager and we’re running that for the next week with food purchases. People had to be turned away, we didn’t have capacity. It was really rammed. Obviously, we’re in planning mode now because of her upcoming Wembley shows”.
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