One day they’re at school, the next they’re playing Glastonbury and nominated for two ARIA awards, winning one for Breakthrough Artist. “Operator Please” is one of Australia’s favourite new acts, who keep churning out the hits and fun film clips. Candice Rose spoke with drummer, Tim Commandeur in the leadup to this year’s Festival of the Sun in Port Macquarie.

A lot of people already know that Operator Please came together when you were all in high school. Did you ever think that the band would be so successful?

Ah, not really. When we started out, we just did what a lot of bands did and entered ourselves in the Battle of the Bands for a bit of fun and for the opportunity. But we had a blast and didn’t have any expectations of going big places. The fact that it did is pretty cool! We didn’t think it would be what it is, and it’s cool to see how far we have gone as a band. 

> Five teenagers make up the band; it must be hectic when you’re together all the time. Is it always smooth sailing between you? 

No, certainly not all the time! It’s like having brothers and sisters – it’s exactly like that, in fact. When you live with each other for months on end, you know how to tick everybody off, you know what little buttons to push and sometimes you get frustrated and end up fighting. It’s fun at the same time though – among all the arguments. 

> Before you were signed to Virgin/EMI, Operator Please did a lot of their own DIY promotion. Was it hard trying to kick things off?

Yeah, it was. We would walk around at night, hanging up posters and handing out flyers and constantly trying to get ourselves out there on myspace.com via friend requests and sending emails to people who were into music. It was hard work, and it was such a relief when we finally got signed. Myspace was totally a good tool for promoting Operator Please. Before the Internet, it was really hard to access good music for free; I mean there was Triple J Unearthed, but aside from that, not much. It’s a good method to discover music, and it’s really helped us out. 

> And now you have taken on the UK music scene, starting with the famous Glastonbury Festival, which hosts 175,000 music goers each year! That’s at the other end of the scale, isn’t it?

Yeah, I know. It was nuts! And it is such a big place, and it’s so strange walking out onto that stage at Glastonbury Festival. Surreal. There were a couple of hundred who came to watch us in particular, even though we were a fair distance from the main stage. That’s a pretty good number for those who made the effort to get out there and see Operator Please. It was amazing! 

> What are some of the differences between the Australian and UK music cultures?

There is not a huge differentiation between mainstream and Indie music, I noticed. For example, the band Vampire Weekend aren’t segregated from the Top 10 Hits – even though they are a non commercial band. Bands like these are given mass coverage over in the UK. People don’t care about the typical stereotypes. 

> Aside from Glastonbury, what have been some of your most memorable gigs with Operator Please? 

For me, the times we played at Splendour In the Grass, Byron Bay. Sydney Big Day Out was also amazing. The Hurricane Festival in Germany was great. A lot of the smaller club shows, too. The crowds go wild – in France especially. It’s a lot of fun! 

And now we’re heading to Port Macquarie, where the festival is right on the beach and apparently we can see the water from the stage. Are there waves in Port Macquarie?

> Yes, sure are. 

I am so bringing my board!

> Good idea! Tell us about the time when that person approached you to be signed. I imagine that it must have been exciting for you all? 

Yeah, a guy named Craig Hawker emailed Amanda asking for a demo,  and she assumed that he was just looking for a free CD. She palmed it off and deleted the email. Then he emailed her back saying, “I never got that demo … are you able to send it?” We realised it was real then. She researched it, and then discovered it was legit. We sort of freaked out! They started talking to us more and came to a few shows. It was weird, and all of a sudden we were signed. We were screaming when it started to take off; it was so exciting. 

> On to your film clips; they are always fun and bizarre! Who comes up with the concepts?  

It’s more the directors. We just sort of put the song out there for the people who want to design the clip, they come up with a script or idea, and we look at them and decide what is cool or what is crap. We pick the one we like best and then chat with them and tell them what we would like to change or work on. It’s mainly those directors who have that input. 

> Have you ever been star struck by the musicians you’ve met? 

Arctic Monkeys. We walking into the Hordern Pavillion and they were sound checking and we were all like, “Oh my gosh.” And we just freaked! They were really nice. Quiet, but really nice.

> What is it like being the support act for huge name bands such as the Kaiser Chiefs? Do you get to hang out with those bands on tour? 

Keiser Chiefs were super nice too. We saw them in England when we played a show with them. They are all cool as. It depends on the day, if we can get together or not. On the last day of the tour, the bands usually hang out together. With our tours though, and the bands that support us, we try and keep it like a family, you know. All hang out in the dressing rooms, eat each others’ food! Family. 

> Apart from music, what do you guys like to get up to? 

We’re all into different things. Ashleigh loves fashion and clothes and stuff like that. I like going out and surfing. Amanda has always played music. We all have our separate things. 

> Thanks Tim.