Of course, there are other music festivals that attempt the same convenience, who try to get you to spend all your time outside, or in the woods, but none so conveniently located as Firefly in the gentle town of Dover, Delaware, three hours from all the biggest cities on the East Coast. So the decision for the summer is easy: mellow out in your tent, make your way to the festival grounds, soak up both sun and new and old music, and then go back and review all the goodness of the day as you slip into your sleeping bag. These are the bands you should have thought about as you nestled, and the ones you should be looking up now.

Here’s a list of the top five bands at Firefly Festival:

1. Fitz and the Tantrums: Oh you already know the band rocking the classic soul grooves and vocals. During their performance, they played through their debut album “More Than Just a Dream,” and before launching into a new song, took the time to thank everyone in the audience. They’re quietly the most charming band, securing commercial spots with their solid soul/pop music. The crowd was on their feet, jumping around, hands in the air.

2. Walk Off the Earth: The band famous for playing Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” with five people on one guitar make infectious ukulele-infused pop music. Their performance at Firefly was a chill summer vibe, with pirate flags waving in the crowd, and enthusiastic head-waving. Their large group allows them to incorporate non-traditional instruments that deepen their feel-good pop. If you haven’t already, check out their cover of Maroon 5’s “Payphone.” This is in addition to unique original songs like “Red Hands” and “Summer Vibes.”

3. Bleachers: Another band with elements geared towards success. Jack Antonoff has taken his pop sensibility (honed in the band fun.) and deep vocals to start a post-punk electronica band. Their performance of “I Wanna Get Better” paid homage to DIY punk bands from the 1970s, the big anthemic vocals destined to get sing-alongs started. Antonoff didn’t forget where he’s coming from though, and each new tune was keyboard gooey and dance worthy.

4. Wild Cub: Go listen to this band already. We’ve covered them at Quip before and they’re getting better with each new write-up. Their sound is electricity on the tip of your tongue. The lead singer gets into it more than the audience without sacrificing any energy for his vocals. If it’s not for their thunderclap electronica pop music, then go to see the intensity with which the lead singer locks eyes with the guitarist who just won’t look his way.

5. Little Daylight: Fresh off a performance on the Seth Meyers show, the shoegaze electronica pop band is poised to move beyond the Brooklyn scene and onto a bigger stage. In July they’re releasing their first full-length album “Hello Memory.” Their performance at Firefly was enthusiastic. When they finally moved to “Overdose,” the thunderous drum kicked in, followed by the thrilling keyboards, and the crowd was won over. The vocals are charming. The band is charming.

Firefly Music Festival managed to put together a diverse lineup for both mainstream music listeners and independent music elitists. Looking up at the stars of Dover late at night, in the immediate silence, gave weight to the sounds of the day.

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For a festival in its infancy, this four-day event got a whole lot right: conveniently located stages, plenty of local food and drink options, prompt performances, multiple porta-potties and hand washing stations, blankets, and even an umbrella check-in. In fact, despite the major mud created by the rain, many concert-goers seemed nearly thrilled to squish their toes and smear dirt across their bodies.

Camera Obscura was second to kick things off, graced by a clear sky and eagerly waiting attendees. This darling, six-piece band is humbly appealing, and not only for their Scottish accents. They cast a charming calm across the crowd with a playful mixture of vocals, guitars, keyboard, bass, tambourine, drums, and mandolin. It’s lead vocalist Tracyanne Campbell’s, soft voice combined with upbeat melodies that brings to mind a ’50s style Friday night diner popping with the jitterbug.

Next to the stage were the Joel Plaskett Emergency, fronted by Canadian musical veteran, Joel Plaskett. Recently prevented from playing Calgary’s Sled Island Festival due to mass flooding, they put on an energetic and interactive show that demonstrated the lyrical genius Plaskett is known for. “Harbour Boys” was a favourite, given solo by Plaskett, and sung in unison by the crowd.

Los Angeles based indie soulsters, Fitz and the Tantrums came armed on Friday night with amped tunes and neon lights. A departure from the evening’s previous folk and country-heavy artists,  this group is serious about their synthesizers and created a soulful sound that combined an interesting mix of electronica, soul-pop, and roots. Fronters Michael Fitzpatrick and Noelle Scaggs are energy giants, and though this was not the easiest gig for these guys to play, they seemed to sell it to the crowd.

Hamilton’s Arkells blasted in to fill Friday’s last slot, opening with their hit “Whistleblower” (oddly relevant given Edward Snowden’s current situation). All fired up, they gave the crowd sing-along tunes and headlining prowess. Lead vocalist Max Kerman proved an animated performer, especially after pulling out Motown classics that included “I Want You Back” and “You Can’t Hurry Love.” Joined on stage by members of super cover band Dwayne Gretzky, the band provided a fitting night cap.

Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls started Saturday’s collection of performances. The punk-turned-folk artist was gracious and likely the most enthusiastic performer of the entire festival, not only expressing gratitude to the crowd, but shared excitement for other acts. Strumming foot-stompers like “Recovery” and “Photosynthesis”, Turner encouraged audience interaction with jumping jacks, and with an ear-to-ear grin, paid homage to Canada’s The Weakerthans. A thoughtful, passionate set.

Stepping on next were The Hold Steady, a Brooklyn based indie band with one of the happiest lead vocalists (Craig Finn) I’ve ever seen. Moving back and forth, arms flailing and mouthing excess lyrics, this band announced an upcoming album and strummed older tunes like “Chips Ahoy!” and “Constructive Summer.” Great to see these music veterans up there.

The third evening ended with Celtic punks, Flogging Molly, who feel as much like activists as they do performers. Proudly Irish, they filled their surroundings with fiddles, electric guitars, and marathon-style moves that rivalled Riverdance. Quick, raw, and unapologetic, this group presented a great atmosphere for pre-drinks before a night out.

Sunday evening was finally met with rain that softened the ground but not the spirits of concert-goers. Neko Case (of The New Pornographers) played the second last set, which turned into a storm halfway through. Gravelly and gracious, Case was thoroughly touched by the crowd’s loyalty, and fittingly offered “This Tornado Loves You” as well as some oldies that included “That Teenage Feeling.”

The final act to the stage were Glasgow’s own Belle & Sebastian, dreamy pop Glaswegians with adorable eccentricities. Lead man, Stuart Murdoch, is a true entertainer, whimsically arriving with an umbrella and twirling methodically around stage. The wonderful thing about this group is the orchestral atmosphere they create, not only due to their size, but encompassing harmonies. Highlights included audience interactions, which involved a live game of scrabble.

Even though TURF concluded under one of this year’s worst rainfalls the event was a success filling in the gap of chill music festivals and shedding light on local talent. We look forward to watching it grow.

See more photos from TURF on our Facebook page.

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