The Black Dog pub referenced in Taylor Swift song ‘does have a certain blonde regular’, admits events manager

22 April 2024, 20:08 | Updated: 22 April 2024, 22:01

The events manager at a London pub referenced in Taylor Swift’s latest album has said she can neither 'confirm nor deny' claims about the subject of Swift's song - but admitted they do have a certain regular.

Taylor Swift released the latest instalment in her ever-growing body of works the ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ last Friday after keen anticipation among fans.

She surprised Swifties with the unexpected announcement of her eleventh studio album at the Grammy’s in February, just 18 months after releasing her last album Midnights.

But one song on her newest album, titled ‘The Black Dog’, has seen fans flocking to a south London pub by the same name.

Fans believe the track to be based on the Vauxhall pub, as Swift pens about an unnamed partner: “Your location/You forgot to turn it off/And so I watch as you walk/Into some bar called The Black Dog”.

The track has led to widespread speculation among fans as to who the downcast track could be about, Joe Alwyn or Matty Healy?

But now the Events Manager at the Vauxhall pub may have provided some insight as to who the despondent anthem could be about.

LBC’s Andrew Marr asked whether Swift’s ex-partner of six years Joe Alwyn frequented the pub.

Lily Bottomley, Social Media and Events Manager at The Black Dog, said: “I couldn’t possibly say, I can neither confirm nor deny - but I do have a certain blonde regular.”

Business has been booming at the south London pub following Swift’s album release on Friday, as the star boasts a mammoth and loyal fanbase who refer to themselves as Swifties.

Ms Bottomley said that the uptick in visits to The Black Dog had been welcome over the weekend.

She continued: “It’s been pretty incredible to be honest with you, we’ve never experienced anything like it before, the weekend was absolute madness and we’re already nearly booked out for her tour dates when she’s coming in June and August. It’s been wild, it’s been crazy.

“Seeing the way the clientele has shifted in the past couple of days has been pretty incredible to be honest but it’s a really lovely mix, the atmosphere is a real jovial one, it’s really positive and you can’t expect or plan or buy this kind of exposure, so we are leaning into it about don’t want to lose our identity as well.”

Speaking to fans who had taken a detour to the pub after hearing the new track, Kelsey from Portland, Oregon said: “I’ve had this trip booked for a while, so I made it a point to stop here because I had a free afternoon.”

Catherine Johnson from Atlanta, Georgia said: “I was actually visiting when the album came out, and it’s my last here today, I remember sitting in my bedroom with the debut album out and dancing to it, I was five, it’s cute.

Amanda from Chicago: “I’m a Taylor Swift fan and since we were so close we figured, we should take the opportunity and come in. I think she just comes off as relatable, it’s just your regular pub and she was probably just here on a regular day enjoying her time with Joe.”

Swift is set to kick off the European leg of her worldwide Eras tour next month, with her first date in the UK starting in Edinburgh on June 7.