LIFE: Christmas Markets and Our Anniversary

On Friday 18th of December it was myself and Scott's one year anniversary and to celebrate we took a trip to Birmingham to go to the Christmas market. It was a little touch and go for a few days on whether we would go due to the fact I pulled a muscle in my side and it meant sitting still for over an hour in the car would make me feel uncomfortable. However, in the end, I decided to go. I'd been excited for a while about the possibility of going and I didn't want us to spend the day inside being miserable.

We met at two o'clock, Scott arrived with a bunch of flowers, some chocolates and a card, making me the worse girlfriend ever for not doing the same (but it's so close to Christmas). We were soon on our way to Birmingham, wanting to get there a little later so that it was dark for the Christmas market and getting us in the spirit a little more. The Christmas market was the Frankfurt Christmas Market in the city centre and it's the best Christmas market I've ever been to. With plenty of stands and stores for you to purchase alcohol (we didn't, but the opportunity is there) and lots of options for food as well as gift shops it was quite a magical evening. I hadn't been in a very festive mood, but being there that evening definitely gave me the Christmas spirit. The food tasted amazing and everyone was incredibly friendly. Also, there were plenty of places that sold Nutcrackers and the temptation was strong.

The two of us decided to get a Starbucks hot chocolate when it started to drop really cold as we wandered the rest of the market. We soon ended up at the Bull Ring shopping centre, where I could've spent an absolute fortune. My first stop was the Charlotte Tilbury counter in Selfridges. I've always wanted to go to one but I had never had the opportunity and it's not as fun (or easy) shopping makeup online. With a list of things I could've bough as long as my arm we wandered the rest of the shop which blew my mind. I haven't been in a Selfridges since I was very little so it was very overwhelming. It was at the moment I saw Jimmy Choos that Scott had to drag me away from the store. As shopping centres go, it's definitely up there as being my favourite. There were brands that I had only ever scrolled their websites before that had shops there such as Whistles and Cos. The choices for food is endless. I know that the two of us could've gone absolutely crazy with what we bought but in the end I picked up a few goodies from Charlotte Tilbury and Scott picked up a Vans hat and couple of other bits.

If you're looking for a good shopping centre or thinking about going to a Christmas market I would definitely recommend Birmingham as a good location if you can get. It was a lovely evening spent together and we had a lot of giggles.

♥

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MUSIC: Don Broco at Rock City

I first saw Don Broco supporting You Me At Six nearly two years ago and I was really impressed with how they managed to move an entire crowd even if you didn't know their music you couldn't help but dance along to their pop/rock sound. So when I heard they were touring, after obsessing over their 'Automatic' album release there was no question on whether I was going to see them, because the answer was always going to be yes.

Myself and Scott managed to get tickets at Rock City in Nottingham the other night and it was such an incredible gig, and a different experience for myself at a concert. We unfortunately missed the first two supports due to finishing work late and Nethen traffic but we got there in time to see Coasts. Surprisingly I recognised a few of their songs and they were really entertaining and strong performers. They got the crowd moving and at the mention of Fifa got the lads singing along to them. I'll definitely be checking their debut album when it's released in January.

It was then time for Don Broco themselves and you could already tell that it was going to be an amazing gig with the crowd singing along at the top of their voices to music playing in the break. The guys began with 'I Got Sick' but it was 'You Wanna Know' that got the audience going mental, jumping about, it was sometimes hard to keep up with the rest of the crowd but it was in those moments where myself and Scott got from near the back to the front.

If there's one thing that Don Broco know how to do, it's definitely how to have fun. They interacted with the crowd announcing it was time for 'The Push-up Squad' (how it sounds) and a guy jumping from the stage into the crowd. It was definitely a lot rougher than I expected it to be, but I loved it all the while. The band, clearly, enjoyed the gig themselves. They threw themselves into each song and performed. Rob sounded incredible throughout and entertained the entire crowd through his movement around the stage. After you've seen them live you can't help but do the Rob Damiani dance, it's contagious.

My favourite songs throughout the gig were 'What You Do To Me', 'Yeah Man' 'Further' and 'Nerve'. They were simply incredible and the atmosphere in the room was magnetic there wasn't a single person who wasn't up jumping and joining in with the Mexican wave, or singing. There was crowd surfing, much to the security's enjoyment. Whilst standard of performance you cannot compare Don Broco with the Mumford and Sons gig we went to a few weeks ago, Don Broco was definitely the most fun. Definitely check them out if they're playing near you any time soon because there is no doubt you'll enjoy yourself. You might come home aching a little bit. but its definitely worth it. My recommendation if your girl or smaller build. go with someone who will look after you and push  you forward but makes sure you avoid getting hurt. Luckily for me, that's what Scott did and we both had a great time without any injuries.

♥

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MUSIC: The Story So Far Gig

Last night myself and Scott travelled to Nottingham to see The Story So Far at Rescue Rooms. We met my brother there and his friend. It was my first time seeing the band and it was also my first time in Rescue Rooms too so I was a little anxious as what to expect, I'm not very good in situations that I've never been in before or in new places.

Anyway, we got there as the first support was finishing so I can't really pass any comment on them as we really didn't see enough. The second support was Turnstile, now these just weren't my cup of tea. Scott enjoyed them but for me I like to know what is being sung in a song otherwise I just don't get it, I did like the actual music though, and it may sound harsh, but I didn't really enjoy anything else about there set. However, that's just my opinion, like I said Scott enjoyed their set as did a lot of other people there judging from the mosh pit that occurred. 

Next it was time for The Story So Far and at this point I had met my brother and we had a little catch up and I felt a lot more relaxed. They were really good and just smashed through their set. They didn't really chat to the audience they just powered through their songs so quickly which I quite liked as there wasn't anything awkward where you can't tell what they were saying, plus it went really quickly. 

The band sounded really good and the singer was strong too, there wasn't a point where he sounded like he was struggling which is always good. Their stage presence was also strong, though they didn't talk to the crowd they still interacted with them. The audience was also really into it, a few mosh pits occurred which I stayed clear of as me in a mosh pit would only cause panic but it was fun to watch everyone else. There was also some crowd surfing. 

My favourite songs of the evening were 'All Wrong' and 'Clairvoyant'. However, these were the two that I was looking forward to the most too. 'All Wrong' is a lot heavier than 'Clairvoyant' it's just one of those songs where you can really get into it and there's a lot of angst which I like. 'Clairvoyant' is more chilled and sweet, a few people had their lighters out but both songs were played and sung really well. 

We both knew that it wasn't going to be in the same league as Mumford and Sons for a starter they're completely different bands in genre as well but The Story So Far were good in their own right, I would definitely go and see them again and it was a good night out. If you're into pop punk music I would suggest checking them out. 

♥

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