So, RamFest 2008 has come and gone and you’re back at your desk, slogging away at the daily grind. As you sip your coffee, slumped back in your chair, you remember fondly the activities of the past weekend, wishing you could do the time warp back to the day it all started: 29 February. You’re trying to reminisce with your family, friends and colleagues but they can’t relate because they weren't there, living it up at the justifiably labelled ‘ultimate rock festival’.

Still nursing stubbed toes from alien tent pegs and scratchy, bloodshot eyes from the sleep you have yet to catch up on, you scour the internet for tales of the wondrous couple of days you spent away from the concrete jungle. In search of a literary masterpiece that will capture the essence of the three-day party and provide an all-encompassing view of the event as experienced by festival stalwarts and rookies alike, you happen upon this work of genius.

Without further ado, allow us to appease your need for the retold romance of RamFest 2008…

After smuggling in bottles of beer and other alcoholic preferences, surveying Nekkies Holiday Resort in search of the perfect spot to pitch their tents and thereafter setting up camp, the early birds stomped down to the stage area for the start of a very, very long night. ‘All scheduled line-up times are subject to change’, as stated on the festival website, certainly came into play as lighting and sound woes marred the first half of the evening.

Not to be turned off though, the godfathers of South African ska-punk, Fuzigish, played through the temporary dark, cracking load-shedding jokes and certainly nailing together a solid performance in front of a growing crowd.

aKING had to wait a lengthy stretch before launching their debut album, ‘Dutch Courage’ to the anticipant public. Thankfully, the technical gurus sorted out the troubles and frontman Laudo Liebenberg and crew impressed at every turn as they belted out their Bruce Springsteen-esque tunes.

Iconic duo Francois van Coke and Wynand Myburgh spewed profanity as the Van Coke Kartel brought their ‘A’ game, successfully winning over a few more rednecks to their already massive fanbase.

Taxi Violence stepped up and delivered on cue, with the angle-grinding theatrics of the infamous Bingo providing an awesome backdrop to the pelvic thrusts of lead-singer, George van der Spuy.

With the big guns doing their thing in the superbly rigged main arena, metalheads were thrashing about to the likes of Antipathy, Decimation Age and Contrast The Water on the smaller stage tucked away in the campsite. Particular mention must be made of the latter’s gratitude at the crowd’s response, perhaps defining an entirely new genre: appreciative metal.

Brit rockers White Buzz had their fun. Their vocalist resembled something of a Sacha Baron Cohen/Mick Jagger look-alike and seriously lacked rhythm, with peculiar attempts at fly kicks and the moonwalk dominating his act.

Well into the wee hours of Saturday morning, emotional rockers, Foto Na Dans, took to the stage and quickly woke the sleepy masses. Vocalist Le Roi Nel truly took charge as the Bellville-based sextet proved the surprising highlight of the night.

At 3.30 in the morning, with the Worcester sunlight not far off, George Bacon and the rest of Hog Hoggidy Hog graced the festival with their porkrocking presence. Unleashing a handful of new songs amidst a host of their older stuff, Bacon and cronies sapped the last drop of waning energy from those who valiantly forwent sleep ahead of loyalty to the Hogs.

Following a 5am bedtime, Saturday arrived rather quickly…

Yossarian and Failing Forward bravely kicked off the day in front of a hung over, sleepless few. Back on the scene after a relative hibernation, Ashtray Electric coasted through their set, their talents possibly wasted on such an early slot in the day.

From there on in it was metal, metal and more metal. Hailing from Jo’burg, Knave started the heaviness, with the Deftones-esque Torment, the throat-wrenching screams of Rhutz, the mayhem of Day Turns Night and the power-stance guitaring of Chromium filling up the afternoon.

The South African Air Guitar Championships came and went, evoking much laughter and the deserved winner walking off with a Fender Stratocaster.

A sad farewell to the magnificence of songstress, Inge Beckmann and the rest of the parting Lark broke the slew of metal bands, before Battery 9, K.O.B.U.S!, Mind Assault and Gadabout flayed about into the early hours of Sunday.

Throughout the fiesta fabulous DJs were spinning the decks at the Psy-trance stage, by all accounts a massive success.

In the tented stage, 7th Son jammed out the reggae, The Spindle Sect got the throngs jumping, Kidofdoom spooned out their awe-inspiring instrumentalism and Unit R, loudspeaker and all, laid on thick the dynamic beats. Step up nu-metal(!?) outfit Pestroy to finish off the fat party.

With Audiomatik Events Company fully deserved of thousands of pats on the back, Sunday rocked up, belongings gathered, goodbyes said and the trek back to reality made.

RamFest 2009 is a mere stagedive away…