Bio

The band officially and as known today started in 2005, when Gareth joined to replace Warren Van Zyl on the bass guitar and with this the formative chapter of the band closed where three teenage boys wrote punk songs together in one another’s garages and who played any show they could get, from house parties to pubs in their home town. Being influenced by Rancid and Anti-Flag a unique sound had been born but the place of birth was no healthy environment for any band but yet is mostly responsible for the bands character and soul: Springs in the East Rand, Gauteng. Gareth had not played bass guitar before but had played guitar in a few amateur bands but this could never have prepared him for the deep end that he would be thrown into when joining the band. Gareth however took to Enemy3 as though he had some kind of “Enemy3 gene” and naturally synthesized right in with Rowan (Guitar) and Roy (Drums). With Gareth now in the band Enemy3 started bringing in their love for Rock and Roll, Emo and Metalcore but they still remained true to their roots in Punk. The transition to break out of Springs and become an established band began early in 2005. Enemy3 have carried three foundation beliefs from the start which are. 1) To take the band as far as possible without losing their roots 2) To never do any of this for money nor fame 3) To give nothing less than everything. Enemy3 has a wide range of topics in songs and a message that they feel is always important, they cover issues about broken hearts, politics, racism, rape, betrayal, unity, South Africa, being a teenager and anything else that they deem necessary to address. The typical punk notion of D.I.Y has never left the band, there is not much that they have achieved or done without being actively involved in it. They manage themselves and mostly arrange their own shows, but take any offer in to consideration as long as they can remain in control of the band and not diverge from their roots. They practice in Springs at Roy’s house in a back room known to them as “the pit”, which is kind of ironic when you take in to consideration that the room smells much like an arm pit after every practice. Each member in the band writes songs and because of their passionate and hard working characters each member likes to have some spot light and deep involvement in the band, this probably explains the fact that each member does leading vocals and their own instrumental solos, making it sometimes hard to see a clear leader of the band. Gareth’s vocals are primarily influenced by Emo and Metalcore whilst Rowan gains influence from Rock and Roll and Punk, and to make this blend even more diverse Roy adds vocals with strong roots in Street Punk and Ska. Stage performance is of vital importance to Enemy3, they like the audience to be completely consumed by their presence; this also has the benefit that if the audience does not like their music they could still enjoy a energy pumped performance. With a love to play shows the band is always keen for any chance to play, they also strive to enhance and build up a worth while alternative and independent scene in South Africa. They have literally been responsible for any alternative music activity in Springs (since the days of Corporal Punishment and Radio Rats: Roots of SA punk) and with the formation of Enemy Productions (the bands production team) they intend to leave a mark. All their plans to record a demo where put on hold with the change in line up in 2005 and the much needed rewriting of all the material. In the not too distant future Enemy3 will be releasing an album but not until they have conquered the stage.