What happens when an unassuming pub becomes the setting of a Taylor Swift song?
After releasing her much-anticipated 11th album The Tortured Poets Department last Friday, Swift surprised fans at 2 a.m. with 15 new songs, among them “The Black Dog.” On the track, Swift sings about following an ex-lover to “a bar called the The Black Dog” after they forgot to turn off their location.
As fans quickly sleuthed, The Black Dog is a real pub in London — where Swift once lived with ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn. While we can’t be sure what parts of the song are fictionalized, the bar became part of Swiftian (folk)lore almost immediately, as fans swarmed the Vauxhall pub over the weekend, creating the need for additional glassware and security staff.
Marketing manager Amy Cowley says the team first heard of the mention from a staff Swiftie who said it was “going to be big.”
“The reaction has been huge. We’ve been inundated with requests for merch, visitors to the pub, and interviews,” she says.
The Black Dog has leaned into the mania, offering food and drink specials like a “Swift” burger and playing the new album on repeat for fans. They even posted a video that plays into fan theories about which real-life ex the song references. (For what it’s worth, events and social media manager Lily Bottomley alluded to a “certain blonde regular” on Sky News.) They’re also in the process of setting up a merchandise store for fans worldwide, says Cowley.
“The fans have been great,” she adds. “They’ve been moving to share space with other Swifties when we’re at max capacity,”
The Black Dog
This would all be a lot for any establishment, which manager Jonathan Murray was quick to point out in an Instagram post. “I want to say a huge thank you to our amazing team, who have been riding this Taylor Swift wave like total professionals,” he wrote. “This level of attention and custom has come completely out of the blue and the team have been working round the clock to make sure our regular customers and Swifties receive the fantastic service The Black Dog is known for. We could have got through the last week without every single one of you. Drinks are on Taylor to celebrate!”
Since opening in 2009, this charming Victorian-style pub and restaurant, a short walk from the Thames River, has become a fixture of southwest London’s Vauxhall neighborhood. “We’re a friendly neighborhood pub loved by locals and visitors to the area,” says Cowley. In addition to seasonal pub fare like fish and chips, a Sunday roast with all the trimmings, and locally brewed beer, Cowley says they are also known for their tapas, like spinach goat cheese croquettes and chorizo in a cider sauce.
The Black Dog is expecting hordes of visitors from around the world for Swift’s Eras Tour, which will stop at Wembley Stadium from June 21 to June 24, and Cowley says they’re planning special events ahead of the weekend. You can make reservations through the platform Seven Rooms, and they also accept walk-ins, though we highly suspect you’ll want to book in advance.
Location sharing optional!
