Formed early 1977 and fronted by vocalist Chris Knox with bassist Mick Dawson, drummer Mike Dooley, and guitarist Alec Bathgate, the band were strongly influenced by artists similar to those cited by the then-ascendant international punk rock music scene.
During the last months of 1978, bassist Mick Dawson left to return to Dunedin and former Split Enz member Phil Judd joined the band, but the lineup proved incompatible.
[1] With a solid 'originals-only' performance regime, the Enemy are seen as hugely influential on the development of New Zealand's indigenous rock music culture.
Toy Love played a number of songs that the Enemy had originally performed, though usually with some musical rearrangement or alteration of the sometimes-pungent lyrics.
Early supporters of the Enemy included Dunedin brothers Hamish and David Kilgour, founders of The Clean.