How We Survive is What Makes Us Who We Are

From the official Rise Against Instagram

That is a line from one of my favourite Rise Against songs.  One of the songs that I was lucky enough to see live last week Friday night at RAMfest.   Can I just jump the gun here and say what a totally awesome show it was?  All the bands were outstanding, the turnout was great and the vibe was awesome.  RAMfest, you HAVE to come back to Durban next year.  And please bring someone equally awesome!

Anyway, moving along.  We missed most of Lowprofile's set because we got there just a little bit late.  They were still playing when we arrived but between standing in the queue, greeting friends and getting drinks, they kind of got lost in the noise.  Speaking of friends, Collette and her new husband made Durban RAMfest the end of their honeymoon which made the whole evening even more awesome.  I don't get to go to many concerts with Colli anymore because she lives so far away so it was super cool to have them both there.

Pestroy was the next band up and even though I don't know them that well, they were incredibly good.  Apparently they have been around for 15 years now and their experience and confidence showed. The performance was tight and you could see they were feeding off the enthusiasm of the crowd.  I forgot my proper camera at home but here is a blurry iPhone photo of Pestroy in action:

Next up was Bring Me The Horizon.  Again, I was sure what to expect from these guys but they are so, so good!  I had been listening to them on SoundCloud occasionally to try and acquaint myself with there stuff before the show but it didn't prepare my for how they sound live.  They are very heavy and honestly, I think they sound better live.  Oli Sykes also has some AMAZING tattoos.  Seriously.  Alas I was too far away to get a proper look at them.  Random aside about BMTH?  They are named after the last line in Pirates of the Caribbean where Captain Jack Sparrow says "Now, bring me that horizon."

The Bring Me The Horizon set list was:

Shadow Moses
Chelsea Smile
Alligator Blood
Fuck
It Never Ends
The Sadness Will Never End
Diamonds Aren't Forever
Blessed with a Curse
Antivist

There was about an hours wait between BMTH and Rise Against and we used that time to try and get as close to the stage as possible.  One of the hazards of being short is that no matter how close you manage to get to the stage, there is still someone taller in front of you!  I was determined to at least stay in the front for one song to experience the atmosphere which was growing by the minute.  When Rise Against eventually came on, I had a perfect view of Tim McIlrath from between two shoulders.  Here is photographic proof:

The crowd went off for that first song and the mosh pit was absolutely insane.  I had to move further back after the first song because it was just too much and I wasn't wearing the right shoes to tangle with the bigger guys.  Note to self:  never, ever wear flats to a punk show ever again...what were you thinking???  Anyway, once we moved further back, I had an excellent view of the stage and could enjoy the show without fear of mangled feet.

I don't have an exact set list for Rise Against but here is what I think I remember hearing:

Chamber the Cartridge
Life Less Frightening 
Collapse (Post-Amerika)
Re-Education (Through Labor)
The Dirt Whispered
Help Is on the Way
The Good Left Undone
Long Forgotten Sons
Prayer of the Refugee
Survive
Satellite

Ready to Fall 

Acoustic:
Hero of War 
Swing Life Away

Encore:
Make It Stop (September’s Children)
Give It All
Savior

There are so may of my favourite songs in this setlist it's unbelievable!!  I couldn't have asked for better!  I spent the whole night, shouting their lyrics back at them, jumping around like a mad person and just generally loving life.  I also managed to get an awesome video of Swing Life away which I unfortunately couldn't upload here.   

For more photos, you can check out the Durban RAMfest event page on Facebook.  There are some really great pictures.  Where any of you there or at any of the other shows?  Let me know what you thought.