Biography
Emerging from New Zealand’s earliest notable punk outfit, the Enemy, Toy Love took shape as a new wave act whose modest catalog largely adhered to conventional new wave pop formulas while occasionally revealing inventive sparks. In particular, founding member Chris Knox helped ignite the country’s alternative rock movement throughout the 1980s.
The Enemy coalesced in Dunedin during 1977 when singer/songwriter Chris Knox (who briefly doubled on bass), guitarist Alec Bathgate, drummer Mike Dooley, and guitarist Chris Pendergast came together. Pendergast soon gave way to Mick Dawson, a prior Knox collaborator. Throughout 1978 the group cultivated a devoted local audience with shows in Dunedin and Christchurch, where Knox’s reputation for extreme stage behavior, including self-mutilation, generated considerable notice. Dawson departed at year’s end; Phil Judd, formerly of Split Enz, filled the slot temporarily before the band dissolved in January 1979.
Knox, Bathgate, and Dooley then enlisted keyboardist Jane Walker and bassist Paul Kean to round out Toy Love. WEA New Zealand issued the band’s debut single, “Rebel”/“Squeeze,” in July 1979. The release attracted widespread critical praise domestically and remains widely regarded as their strongest recorded achievement. In 1980 they cut the follow-up “Don’t Ask Me” for the independent Deluxe label. Although popular at home, an Australian breakthrough never materialized, and relentless touring strained internal relations. The self-titled album appeared before disputes prompted the group’s dissolution in late 1980; despite its overall artistic shortcomings, the record and its single “Bride of Frankenstein” enjoyed modest New Zealand success. Knox subsequently launched a solo career and, alongside Bathgate, formed Tall Dwarves, Flying Nun Records’ inaugural signing. Kean later joined the Bats.
For the ensuing twenty-five years, the band’s catalog remained largely inaccessible—the lone LP became a prized collector’s item—yet selected tracks surfaced on various compilations, among them “Rebel” on It’s Bigger Than Both of Us and radio-session renditions of “Squeeze” and “Frogs” on AK79. In 2005 Flying Nun issued a comprehensive two-disc anthology containing the group’s complete recorded output.
The Enemy coalesced in Dunedin during 1977 when singer/songwriter Chris Knox (who briefly doubled on bass), guitarist Alec Bathgate, drummer Mike Dooley, and guitarist Chris Pendergast came together. Pendergast soon gave way to Mick Dawson, a prior Knox collaborator. Throughout 1978 the group cultivated a devoted local audience with shows in Dunedin and Christchurch, where Knox’s reputation for extreme stage behavior, including self-mutilation, generated considerable notice. Dawson departed at year’s end; Phil Judd, formerly of Split Enz, filled the slot temporarily before the band dissolved in January 1979.
Knox, Bathgate, and Dooley then enlisted keyboardist Jane Walker and bassist Paul Kean to round out Toy Love. WEA New Zealand issued the band’s debut single, “Rebel”/“Squeeze,” in July 1979. The release attracted widespread critical praise domestically and remains widely regarded as their strongest recorded achievement. In 1980 they cut the follow-up “Don’t Ask Me” for the independent Deluxe label. Although popular at home, an Australian breakthrough never materialized, and relentless touring strained internal relations. The self-titled album appeared before disputes prompted the group’s dissolution in late 1980; despite its overall artistic shortcomings, the record and its single “Bride of Frankenstein” enjoyed modest New Zealand success. Knox subsequently launched a solo career and, alongside Bathgate, formed Tall Dwarves, Flying Nun Records’ inaugural signing. Kean later joined the Bats.
For the ensuing twenty-five years, the band’s catalog remained largely inaccessible—the lone LP became a prized collector’s item—yet selected tracks surfaced on various compilations, among them “Rebel” on It’s Bigger Than Both of Us and radio-session renditions of “Squeeze” and “Frogs” on AK79. In 2005 Flying Nun issued a comprehensive two-disc anthology containing the group’s complete recorded output.
Albums
Live
