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Album mention boosts London pub's popularity

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Black Dog launches 'Swift' burger, themed cocktails

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'Poets' breaks Spotify's ( SPOT ) single-day streaming record

By Natasha Montague

LONDON, April 22 (Reuters) - Taylor Swift fans are

flocking to The Black Dog, a pub in southwest London, after it

was name-checked on the U.S singer's new album "The Tortured

Poet's Department".

Lily Bottomley, the pub's events and social media manager,

said the buzz started online last week before the double album

was released on Friday, with "The Black Dog" confirmed as the

17th track.

She had to call in staff to cope with demand, and the pub in

the city's Vauxhall district has capitalised on its new-found

fame with a "Swift" burger and "(Taylor's Version)" cocktails.

Bottomley could not be absolutely certain her Black Dog was

the same one mentioned, but she said there had previously been a

"certain blonde regular" at the pub.

Swift describes her 11th studio album on Instagram as: "An

anthology of new works that reflect events, opinions and

sentiments from a fleeting and fatalistic moment in time".

Fans largely believe it is about her former British

boyfriend Joe Alwyn. Swift has referenced other London locations

in her songs that sparked interest in where the couple had spent

time in the British capital.

They split in April 2023 after six years of dating.

"We're a very cosy small neighbourhood pub, so something

like this happening is a dream," Bottomley said. "We're just so

thankful to the fans because they've just been amazing."

Katie, a web developer and "Swifty" visiting from Northern

Ireland for her birthday, said she liked going to places

mentioned in songs.

"I was in New York last year, and I also did a little Taylor

Swift walking tour by myself of the places that she's mentioned

there."

Emilia, a masters student from Vienna, said she could

picture Swift going to the pub. "I appreciate her because she's

lyrically a genius," she said.

Spotify ( SPOT ) said on Friday that "Poets" broke the record for the

platform's most-streamed album in a single day this year,

achieving the feat in less than 12 hours.