concert whore + {brilliant beats} the black keys

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogAfoYZJFug?rel=0&w=640&h=25]

The Black Keys-Gold On Ceiling

Finally got around to downloading the new Black Keys album and yes, it's as good as everyone says it is! So, being the concert whore that I am, the next obvious move was buying tickets to their London show in February (woo hoo!). To double the pleasure, their opening act is one of our favorites, Band of Skulls. We saw them in LA and have been anxiously anticipating their second album for the past two years...here's a post I wrote after seeing them perform. It's so fun to have a record of the things you do/see/think on any given day - oh, blogs.

photo is my instagram from last month's friendly fires show at brixton academy.

weekend, we

Hello, how was your weekend?

We started off with a bang on Friday night with dinner at a super authentic Colombian restaurant in Brixton Market before attending a Friendly Fires concert. The show was awesome but I ended up being more excited about finding a restaurant that tastes like home - my Colombian home, that is. I wish it were closer to where we live but the trip will be well worth it every time, I'm sure.

The rest of the weekend we mostly relaxed at home (and started a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle!) but also got out a bit too. On Saturday I met up with Andrea, her husband and friend, to check out a few shops on Columbia Road. I took photos for her Shop Tours and then we had Tea in a great little tea room called Cake Hole. It's situated in the back of a Vintage Heaven with great decor and super fresh scones. It was just what I needed to fuel a mini-shopping spree at the front of the shop with tiny glass fair-trade Christmas ornaments, vintage linen for a DIY project, and a pair of vintage salt and pepper shakers (to keep or to sell, that is the question...).

On Sunday we trekked waaayyy down south to check out Got Graft?, a little craft fair held in a really cool space called Tooting Tram. I really loved the fabric prints from Justine Ellis and London walking guides by Trip Stylist. I bought the "Villages" guide only to realize later that we've done a major part of it already! There are still some new discoveries to be made off her list though. Lynn from PaperMash and Tea for Joy was there hosting a gift wrap DIY table. It was great to see her and get a tip for a great pub just down the street since we were starving. The Antelope Pub was exactly what we needed; cozy interior, good food, and good drinks. I'll tell ya, I've really warmed up to pub culture now that I understand that it's far more than drunken daytime socializing. I actually seek them out now!

After lunch we made a quick trip up to central London to buy some things for the home and then it was back to our flat. And our jigsaw puzzle - about 600 more pieces to go...

{brilliant beats} skeleton boy by friendly fires

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyA8zfouG4Y?rel=0] It wasn't until I decided to do these music posts that I realized nearly half of the bands in my iTunes library are from the UK. Brilliant!

One of my faves is Friendly Fires. I danced my pants off to them at Coachella in 2009 and particularly love this video for Skeleton Boy. Watch as their outfits appear via tiny white styrofoam balls and enjoy the lead singer's soothing yet electric voice. And who can ignore his funky moves? Not me.

They just released a new album and I've already bought tickets to see them in November. With a day-long music festival, Bushstock, scheduled for this Saturday and this festival in Madrid later this month, it feels really good to get back into the swing of music discoveries and revelry.

Enjoy the video. I dare you not to at least tap your foot on the floor.