Firefly 2012 Review

So, I am sat here wondering. Where on earth do I start? How do I go
about describing this incredible little festival?

Previous readers will know that my love of Firefly stems back a few years, back to 2010. A friend accidently stumbled across an advert for a “small and intimate festival in the Shropshire/ Herefordshire countryside”, at a ridiculously cheap price for a camping ticket off we went. That was it then, we were hooked. Fast forward two
years to August 4th 2012 and here we again.

After driving through hail and thunder storms to get there we arrived in the most beautiful camping field just in time for the gates to open at 2pm. The sun was beaming down, the trusty festival cider was flowing and I felt like a fool for listening to Mr. Weatherman and wearing a kagool and wellies! As everyone arrived they gasped at the
scenery, they helped each other put their tents up, they got to know their “neighbours” and they put their litter in bins! Firefly has a totally different atmosphere to the commercial festivals out there, and that is where I believe they have struck gold. People take the time to speak to one another, everyone is relaxed, the vibe is chilled, the energy is electric.

Having shouted and screamed about Firefly for so long myself and my friends were keen to go and enjoy it. So, once we had all pitched up (and taken a ridiculous amount of pictures naturally) we headed into the woods in search of the stage (well, followed the path to the stage really!). After making a pit stop at the bar (£3 for a rum
and coke and a bottle of water = cheap cheap cheap!) we found ourselves a lovely spot on top of a slight hill directly in front of the stage and listened to the sweet sweet sounds of The Night- a group of 6 incredibly beautiful, incredibly talented individuals who have gained a new fan in me! With praise from The Mystery Jets and having been featured already in NME, look out for these guys. They will not disappoint, I promise.

After The Night was Tom Bradley, a young guy from the South Coast whose music sounds like a lazy summers day, filled with love, laughter and adventure. With a voice that would melt even the coolest of hearts Tom had me hooked from the first note. In fact, sitting in the summers sun, surrounded by lush fields, enchanting woods and
fabulous people while listening to Tom Bradley playing his guitar was as close to perfect as I can remember.

Following The Night and their incredible performance was The Colour Movement- a group from Cambridge who I have seen a number of times over the last few years. Incredibly talented and full of energy, these guys have got something special going on. With a unique sound that I can only describe as “funky indie” they certainly know
how to wake up a crowd. Ending with my favorite song of theirs “Roots” I can honestly say I did not stop dancing throughout their entire set! I was fortunate enough to spend some time with a few members of the band after their set and they really are warmest, funniest and most unpretentious group I have ever met. Considering the level of talent that is riddled throughout, they remain the most genuine and down to earth lads.

At around 7.30, with the sun still beaming down, on came Carousel a group of 5 young lads from Liverpool. These guys were fun, imaginative and got the early evening crowd moving. I really look forward to seeing them again.
After them was Bruno Charles, a lovely young man from London with the most sweet sounding voice you could imagine. Sounding like a cross between Bob Dylan and Corrine Bailey Rae- it is not hard to see why he is getting high acclaim and followers throughout. Watch out for him in the not too distant future. At around 9pm The Wild
Mercury Sound came onto stage. Firefly was their penultimate performance as a group and I have to say, I am incredibly disappointed about that. I had never seen them before Firefly and made a special point of watching their entire set, and I have to say, they were fantastic! A perfect addition to what was a phenomenal festival lineup.

Following The Wild Mercury Sound was the stunning Kyla La Grange who, despite the rain, had the crowd eating out of the palm of her hand! With a vocal style not dissimilar to Dolores (Cranberries) and with an incredible talent on the guitar, I had been looking forward to seeing her live for months. Her new album “Ashes” is currently
my number one played album and she did not disappoint live. She was incredible. I actually had the pleasure of meeting Kyla earlier on back stage, and she is a true beauty: Inside and out. Unassuming, polite and courteous, she was genuinely looking forward to playing to a new crowd.

After a very wet and wild performance by Miss La Grange we were presented with the wonder that is Gentle Mystics. I spent ages trying to describe this incredible group to you, but just could not find the words. So, I have shamelessly stolen their perfectly written bio:

“A trio which miraculously tripled into a full blown 9-piece band with a finished album and every musical instrument under the sun, almost”.

“With such a wide range of ages and tastes, the explosion that happens when the Mystics put their minds together can sometimes be baffling, or perhaps ‘sound like a cat being sick on a boat’, but somewhere in the chaos, the sound of the Mystics always comes stumbling out in its beautiful and bewitching stagger, known to have made many a floor bounce”.

Sums them up wonderfully really, if you do nothing else today, listen to “Spiraling Breeze” by The Gentle Mystics.
If you can, watch the video too. You will see what I mean, they are ridiculously good, ridiculously talented, and I cannot wait to see them again!

After Gentle Mystics was Monsta- a trio who are already described by Zane Lowe as his “next big hype”. Signed to the same record label as Chase and Status and with some big remixes already under their belt they will undoubtedly be taking the world by storm soon. Their debut single “Holdin On” is out soon, and I reckon it will be
played in clubs over the world!

After that it all goes a bit hazy I am afraid! But, at £2.50 for a large dark rum and coke, you can’t hold that against
me! The loud and funky DJ’s kept us moving until 3am. I then moved across to the campfire where the lads from
The Colour Movement joined the crowd and had a jam. Various guitars were dotted around and everyone was loving it. The atmosphere was chilled, everyone was happy (and warm!) and it really was the best end to a festival ever! I stumbled across to my tent a very happy camper indeed!

I usually dread the packing up after a festival. Everyone is tired, hungover and usually cold! However, the wonderful organisers of Firefly gave you plenty of time to pack up- not kicking us off until 4pm! We had ample time to wake up, sample some of the breakfast that was on offer and admire the breathtaking views. We then
casually packed up and said a sad goodbye to Firefly. Until next year….

I love Firefly, it has a special place in my heart and they really have got something special going on. The organisers have a clear vision, have spotted a gap in the market and ran with it. It is perfect and I hope to see some of you there next year.