Marco Gomes
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Marco Gomes | |
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| Born | March 21, 1976 Witbank, eMalahleni, South Africa |
| Genres | Rock, Alternative Rock, Pop Rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, producer, entrepreneur |
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| Years active | 2001–present |
| Labels | EMI, Universal Music Group, Virgin Music, David Gresham Records |
| Associated acts | Prime Circle |
Marco Gomes (born 21 March 1976 in Witbank, eMalahleni, South Africa) is a South African musician,[1] songwriter, and entrepreneur, best known as the bassist and founding member of the rock band Prime Circle. Active since 2001, he has contributed to the band's sound and songwriting across Africa and Europe.[2]
Early Life and Background
Gomes was born in Witbank, eMalahleni, South Africa in 1976, the second eldest of four siblings. His parents, Jock Gomes and Georgina Gomes, are of South African Portuguese descent. Jock Gomes was a Portuguese radio presenter, disc jockey, drummer, producer and founder of the band Top Secretin the 1980s. Gomes finished school in 1993 where he matriculated from Witbank Technical College. He started playing drums at a young age, and also learned guitar and piano throughout his youth and was influenced by various rock and alternative bands.[3]
Personal Life
After finishing school, Gomes opened several rave nightclubs, which played a key role in building his network within the South African music industry. Through these venues, he established relationships with radio DJs and industry professionals. These connections ultimately led to Prime Circle securing their first record deal in 2002 with David Gresham Records. Marco Gomes married Rene Gomes[4] in January 2012. Rene[5] is the youngest child of South African Springbok Rugby Player, Schalk Burger, and sister of South African Springbok Rugby Player, Schalk Burger. Marco and Rene have four daughters.
Career with Prime Circle
In 2001, Gomes founded Prime Circle. The band gained recognition following the release of their debut album, Hello Crazy World (2002), which achieved platinum status in South Africa.[6] Gomes has played bass on all studio albums and co-written numerous tracks. See Discography. Prime Circle is Gavin Edwards[7] (vocals and guitar), Marco Gomes (founder & bass), Dale Schnettler (drums), Neil Breytenbach (keyboard), and Dirk Bisschoff (guitar).
Awards and Recognition
Prime Circle has received multiple awards and nominations, including:
- South African Music Awards – Best Rock Album, Best Music Video[8]
- MTV Africa Music Awards – Multiple nominations[9]
- Afri-Indie Awards – Rock Royalty Award (2023)
- All Africa Music Awards – Nominee for Best African Rock
Entrepreneurial Work
Gomes has founded several ventures, including MadHouse Concepts, Rock Out Brands, Prime Fest, Marco G Photography, and FindMy. Findmy latest tech venture, FindMy, has been making waves in the South African AI space with online sites like Travel Opulent Box featuring the new website's technology.
Management Work
In 2023, under the umbrella of Madhouse Concepts, Gomes began managing solo artist Lee Cole[10]. Based in Johannesburg, Lee Cole first gained attention in 2017 for a cover of “Akanamali,” which garnered over 320,000 YouTube views. Since then, Lee Cole has released several charting singles, including "Pink Dragons[11]", "I Don’t Wanna Wait", "Cold", and "ice=cream[12]". These tracks received significant airplay across major South African radio stations, contributing to his growing popularity in the local pop and alternative music scenes. Gomes and Cole continue to collaborate closely on developing Cole’s brand and public profile, with ongoing work on new music, live performances, and career strategy.
Career landmarks
- The single, 'Ghosts', reached the Top 150 of Germany's weekly airplay charts.
- Performed at Rock im Revier and Rockavaria in Germany.
- Performed alongside Iron Maiden and Iggy Pop at Rock in Vienna in Austria as part of their 30-day tour to promote their first official European release, Let the Night In (Deluxe Edition).
- Headlined at Kieler Woche, Hamburg Harley Days, (the biggest annual Harley Davidson gathering in Germany) and the UEFA Champions League Festival in Milan.
- Booked from July to September, to open as special guests for The BossHoss at a series of German festivals.
- Invited to headline the Rock Auf Der Burg Königstein and the Pflasterfest in Hameln, Germany.
Prime Circle has released eight studio albums and is recognized as a notable South African rock band. The group has performed at international festivals including Rock im Revier and Rockavaria in Germany, and Rock in Vienna in Austria.[13]
Discography (with Prime Circle)
- Hello Crazy World (2002)
- Live This Life (2005)
- All or Nothing (2008)
- Jekyll & Hyde (2010)
- Evidence (2012)
- Let the Night In (2014)
- If You Don't You Never Will (2017)
- Live World (2019)
- The World We Know (2024)[14][15]
Acts performed with
- Queen
- Annie Lennox
- Katie Melua
- Will Smith
- Seether
- Metallica
- Collective Soul
- Rasmus
- Linkin Park
- Iron Maiden
- Incubus
- In Flames
- Robert Plant
- The Prodigy
- Peter Gabriel
- GooGoo Dolls
- Live: November 2003: Opening act for the Birds of Pray tour to South Africa[16].
- Korn
- Limp Bizkit
- W.A.S.P.
- Skillet
- Black Sabbath
- Soundgarden
- Avenged Sevenfold
- Volbeat
- Sabaton
- Muse
- Hugh Masakela
- Chris Cornell
- Good Charlotte
- Thirty Seconds To Mars
- Kaiser Chiefs
- Simple Plan
- 3 Doors Down
- Dropkick Murphys
- Slash
- Guano Apes
- Soulfly
- August Burns Red
- Puddle Of Mudd
- Richard Marx
- Megadeth
- Rob Zombie
- Alice in Chains
- Anthrax
- Slayer
- Bring Me the Horizon
- Steel Panther
- Black Label Society
- Sepultura
- Mastodon
- Trivium
- K's Choice
- Billy Talent
- Feeder
- Ugly Kid Joe
- Stone Sour
- Beth Hart
- Johnny Clegg
- The Bravery
- Jamiroquai
- Alter Bridge
- Garbage
- The BossHoss
- Iggy Pop
- Rammstein
- The Subways
- Royal Republic
- Nightwish
- In Extremo
- Kreator
- Gojira
- Powerwolf
- Zakk Wyle
- Shinedown
- Scott Strapp
- Biffy Clyro
- The Chainsmokers
- Swedish House Mafia
- Pixies[16]
References
- ↑ Handley, Matt (2024-10-22). "Prime Circle to perform at Rustique + A Q&A with Marco Gomes". Middelburg Observer. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
- ↑ "Prime Circle". Music In Africa. 10 May 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
- ↑ "Prime Circle to share the stage with US band 3 Doors Down". The Gremlin. 8 June 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
- ↑ admin. "FOTO: Schalk Burger se suster trou!". Sarie (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 2025-06-27.
- ↑ admin. "Schalk Burger se suster, René, verloof aan Prime Circle-baskitaarspeler". Sarie (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 2025-06-27.
- ↑ "Prime Circle Biography". DWR Distribution. 14 August 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
- ↑ Keteyi, Oluthando (2024-06-17). "Prime Circle announce Gavin Edwards as their new singer". IOL. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
- ↑ "24th Annual South African Music Awards", Wikipedia, 2024-11-29, retrieved 2025-06-27
- ↑ Broide, El (2015-06-11). "MTV Africa Music Awards 2015: FULL List of Nominees". The House Of Pop. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
- ↑ Birjalal, Alyssia (2024-10-30). "Lee Cole returns to the music scene with new single, 'Blind'". IOL. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
- ↑ SummerRaine (2020-08-06). "Lee Cole's latest single 'Pink Dragons' is a sunny plea for a relationship worth saving!". SA Music News Magazine. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
- ↑ Martin, Celeste. "Lee Cole chats 'Ice=cream' and plans to release new music every 6 weeks". EWN. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
- ↑ "Circle of Friends in a Circle of Music". The Citizen. 5 June 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
- ↑ Kyla. "Prime Circle to showcase new album at launch event in Johannesburg - InBound SA". inboundsa.com. Archived from the original on 2025-04-23. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
- ↑ Birjalal, Alyssia (2024-08-23). "Prime Circle announces release of new album 'The World We Know'". IOL. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
- ↑ Christiaan (2017-02-02). "ShowMe South Africa Interviews Prime Circle!". ShowMe South Africa. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
External links
This article "Marco Gomes" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles taken from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be accessed on Wikipedia's Draft Namespace.