I've Got Friends, I've Got Family Here.

On Monday, Moon and I went to our first gig in ages, bit of a mistake given that it was on a school night after busy days for both of us but we powered through.

We were at the O2 Academy Oxford to see Eliza & the Bear, a band I discovered back in January when I refused to listen to anything but Xfm. I've mentioned them a couple of times before on here and they've become regulars on my Spotify playlists as time has gone on.

Without meaning to sound too mushy, they're lyrics and sound are just really uplifting and they're a pretty great band to turn to when I need that little lift. After listening to their recordings for the best part of a year, it was the actual best that they were even better live. Opening with 'Friends', I was dancing from the start of their set to the end and despite Moon's scepticism, the fact that they're that bit heavier live, he actually might have fallen for them. So good job, guys, you've won yourself a new fan.

Supported by a local guy called Jack Little and (my bargaining tool for getting Moon to come) Pixel Fix, it was a really enjoyable evening and makes me excited for the live shows we have coming up in the next couple of months, after no festivals and even longer since we've been to an actual gig, I don't know why we left it so long.

Highlights for Jack Little included his song, 'Zombie', about putting your phone away, something I'm probably slightly of guilty of but something that definitely gets annoying when you're at a gig and 'that popular' song comes on, it's the video-takers I hate.

Moon and I also loved Jack's little mate who clearly thought the world of him and was singing along to every word, the cutest ♥.

He might get it a lot but as a 'guy with a 3/4 guitar', it's hard not to make the comparison between him and Ed Sheeran, which I hope works in his favour and doesn't mean that he's missed the boat, you know, since Ed Sheeran is bigshot sellout now.

I knew next to nothing about Pixel Fix other than recognising the name. They're not what I would usually listen to but they put on a good show and their between-song patter was pretty good.

Pretty pleased I managed to get this one. \o/

#MusicMonday :: 'Light It Up'

Sharing this pretty, summery tune with you this morning to brighten up this temperamental August Monday.

Having followed Eliza and The Bear for a little while now, they just never fail to put me in a good mood and their new single, 'Light It Up', is perfect for all things summer, from barbecues to road trips. I hope they get to releasing an album soon.

I've started this week feeling all light and happy after what feels like one of the best weeks of the year. Maybe, it's the excitement of my birthday coming on Saturday but I feel like letting anything annoying just wash over me at the moment and that's quite nice.

A Little Wishlist.

If it weren't for the fact that I've spent nearly all of January being particularly skint, I'd say that I've also been pretty good at saving, which is definitely something I want to try and get really good at this year.

With that being said, it's pretty difficult not to spy fun things to splash out on, besides, one of these things isn't even for me.

1. Eliza and The Bear 'Southern Wild' Sweatshirt – Having heard Eliza and the Bear on Xfm a couple of weeks ago, I've fallen for them. Their song 'It Gets Cold' was an instant favourite and 'Southern Wild' allowed me to be reminded of the wonders of the 'Beasts of Southern Wild soundtrack. The fact that this sweatshirt has a bear on it only sweetens the deal, I really like the colour and it's not going to be warm enough to go without some extra layers for a while so it would be a welcome addition.
2. Not Another Bill Subscription Box – This might be the best subscription box idea I've seen to date. I think they look to provide great 'boyfriend' gifts and with Moon's birthday coming up at the beginning of March it couldn't have been discovered at a better time! Not only do they post gifts from independent designers but quite a few past gifts have featured nice fonts and wood, two of Moon's favourites. I'm hoping that a three-month subscription will be fun and different, and perfect for a boy who never tells anybody what he wants.
3. Muffin-Top Mattress – A rather silly (grown-up) thing to get excited about but this mattress from Loaf.com looks like an absolute dream. My spare time has been a lot about sleeping recently and although this is a bit extravagant, it's probably about third or fourth on our list of 'home priorities' if we decide to stay put.
4. Month Toothbrushes – Spotted on the 'past gifts' section of 'Not Another Bill', these wooden brushes are so cute and definitely make me a little resentful of my boring electric toothbrush. They serve a practical use as well as looking great too and let you know how long you should use them for.
5. Scout Motto Doormat – This definitely makes me long for a door that comes in from outside, sadly the dark corridor that is our hallway just wouldn't do this cute doormat justice but it can just sit here until I can do something with it.

Are you looking forward to pay-day? What do you think of Not Another Bill?