So let’s get into
this…..RAMfest – Johannesburg 10/03/2012.
The day starts 11:20 am at Aandklas
(Hatfield), waiting for Henk van der Schyf and the hotbox express to take 60
fans to the Riversand Farm in Fourways to witness the culmination of 5 months worth of
excitement and expectation. Little did we know that the traffic would not play its
part as we ended up missing Newtown Knife Gang, Shadowclub and Chromium – thus
these three bands are not up for review.
It was 14:45 and we had
(finally) arrived – the cooler box packed for the bus was empty. Parched, we
headed for the bar. It’s here where I had my first festival moment (situations
that will only occur at a festival), when I sold my friends soul for 100 bucks,
to an inebriated, fellow festival-goer.
Captain Morgan was the drink
of choice for the day- as it is nutritious and provides energy. We were ready
to set sail and explore our first band for the day – Fokofpolisiekar.
When I heard they were going
to be on the line-up, the word predictable, came straight to mind, but boy was
I wrong. One of the heaviest sets I have ever heard the Belville-rockers jam
out. It felt like the addition of Jedd Kossew (Van Coke Kartel guitarist),
gave them the raw energy that was lacking in the past four years. These guys
have etched their names into South African rock & roll history and
deservedly so – Frikkie rating 8/10.
Next up was Awolnation – and
I am going to be honest, before Saturday I have never heard of the gents from the US. WHAT A
SURPRISE!!! I heard the song Sail on TUKS FM ( and would lie if I said I was
impressed), but they had my fist in the air for 45min. They were definitely the
surprise of the day for me and kicked some serious ass. Frikkie rating - 7/10.
A quick Captain run and it
was time for the thirteen year veterans, Pestroy to destroy. In my opinion the
most under-rated metal band in South Africa. Truly the “Kings of the
underground”. Pestroy did not disappoint , as they proceeded to rip
Johannesburg a new asshole. Heavy riffs and an amazingly skilled mix of
growling, screaming and clean vocals. The only critique I have is the static
stage presence at times, which can cause people to lose interest, but other
than that top stuff, from a top outfit – Frikkie rating 8/10.
There is only a few events I
have witnessed in my life that I can remember every single detail of…and The Narrow
gigs makes up about 75% of those events. Once again no one was left wondering
who the premier hard rock band in South Africa is. Hanu de Jong demands the
crowd’s attention with powerful vocals and showmanship that naturally oozes out
of him. Emile de Jong (Rhythm Guitar), Jow Feldtman (Bass Guitar), Deon Kruger
(Lead Guitar) and Lias De Lange (Drums) gels so well, so much so that it’s
impossible to imagine The Narrow without one of these guys. Their set started
with Shoot the DJ, the crowd only stopped bouncing when The Narrow stepped off
stage. I can, for the life of me, not understand why these guys are not world
famous. Amazing show, amazing energy and uncompromising quality. Frikkie rating
– 9/10.
I bought my ticket for
RAMfest – Johannesburg, in October 2011. I was so amped that In Flames were
coming, the last 5 months felt like a year. I was not disappointed. At times I
was left speechless. Guitar riffs and sounds that will tear open your chest and
start a mosh pit on your thorax. Something needs to be said for the sound
engineers in this regard, they did an amazing job and it was truly impressive –
well at least from where I was standing. In Flames truly surpassed every
expectation that I had. They had the crowd at the tip of their fingers, obeying
their every command. Demanding the audiences' attention every split second, but
what do you expect from a top class metal act? When In Flames finished, the old
cliché – “I can die now”- felt so applicable and almost immediately post-In
Flames blues infiltrated my being. Why it took music promoters so long to get
them to South Africa is a mystery…Hopefully Anders Fridéns, In Flames vocalist,
promise will ring true….”This is our first time in your beautiful country, but
it will definitely not be the last”. Frikkie rating -10/10.
I don’t like to call a spade
a garden fork or any other form of gardening equipment, so I won’t. I have
heard and listened to Infected Mushroom before, but to be honest it is not my
style. I love that people’s taste in, well everything, differs. That’s what
makes life interesting. I was not ready for the Infected Mushroom that
enveloped me with something so different, I could not help but to sit up
straight and take notice. It felt like playing Mortal Combat on Nintendo Wii or
Xbox kinect, with an Infected, trippy-electronic-trans-rave Mushroom as a
backtrack and the crowds arms, hands and bodies going berserk. The synergy
created between the electric drums, the synthesizer and the electric guitar was
mind blowing. To top it off, their visual display was by far the best of the
evening, adding to the experience. All over a solid, professional and well
rounded performance. Still not my cup of tea, but dang I was blown away!!!
Frikkie rating – 8/10.
It was time to head back
home, although it felt like we had just arrived. I would like to give a
massive shout out to the RAMfest organizers: You did an exceptional job.
The sound, the concession stands, two stages,
the ablution and of course the most balls to the wall, in your face, stick it
to the man, more metal than your ma’s kettle, line-up of bands. I only hope
other festivals can follow suit, then South Africa is in for a treat. What an
amazing time. With amazing people.
Amazing memories. After all was said and done and the dust settled…it is
safe to say that RAMfest – Johannesburg 2012 left me IN Flames…"
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