Nervecell drummer Bachir Ramadan ‘lucky to be alive’ after Beirut blast ordeal
One thing is for certain about the heavy metal music community: they know how to rally. When UAE group Nervecell announced that their drummer, Bachir Ramadan, was one of the many injured in the Beirut port explosion last Tuesday, fans flooded the band’s social media pages with messages of support.
Speaking to The National, Ramadan, who is now recovering at home, says he was overwhelmed by the support. “I cannot describe how it feels, but that is the metal community for you. I have been getting messages not only from the region but also from Europe and South America. I know I am lucky to be alive and I just feel grateful to be here.”
Ramadan was born in Beirut and lived in Dubai for three years from 2006 before returning to Lebanon to complete his university studies. While in Dubai, he met members of Nervecell and eventually joined the group. He still plays with the band at festivals in Europe, South America and South-East Asia.
With the pandemic having curtailed the band’s usual European summer tour, not to mention recording opportunities or rehearsals, Ramadan found himself at his day job – working for a light-fitting company – on the day of the blast. His office was only 800 metres from the Beirut port.
“It was a normal working day,” he says. “Then there was this blinding white light. I was pushed back against the wall. The glass in front of me shattered. There was this small library shelf on my left. That just went down. Basically, the whole building went down.”
With the staircase was still accessible, a dazed Ramadan ventured out on to the street. “I remember just walking and looking for any ambulances,” he says. “I was trying to hear the sounds of the sirens to see if there was anyone nearby. But no one was there.”
In one of the many acts of kindness that have come to define the people’s response to the tragedy, a stranger pulled up in their car and whisked Ramadan away to the nearby Lebanese Hospital Geitaoui.
“It was so full of injured people that they were not capable of treating everyone,” Ramadan says. “I actually checked my phone in my pocket and it somehow was not damaged. I called my parents and they were nearby. They came and got me and we got in a cab and went to the AUB [American
University of Beirut Medical Centre] and I went in.”
Ramadan went through nearly three days of treatment, which included the removal of glass from his face and eyes and tending to several skull fractures and some nerve damage to his hands. “One of my eyes is a bit lower than it should be and initially part of my vision was distorted, but I am OK.”
Ramadan returned home over the weekend to begin his recovery, which is set to include many bouts of physiotherapy. He is keen to get back on his feet soon. Beirut needs to be rebuilt, he says, and he wants to do his part. “We have been in this position before where we were knocked down and had to get back up on our feet and that does give me hope.”
Ramadan promises he will return to the drums as soon as he can. “I’m going to recover and I’m going to get back stronger than ever.”