Operator Please
Operator Please in 2008. L–R: Henderson, McConnell, Wilkinson, Commandeur, Gardiner
Operator Please in 2008. L–R: Henderson, McConnell, Wilkinson, Commandeur, Gardiner
Background information
OriginGold Coast, Queensland, Australia
GenresIndie rock, indie pop, pop rock, new wave, dance-punk, teen pop
Years active2005–2011
LabelsVirgin
EMI Music Australia
Past membersAmandah Wilkinson
Taylor Henderson
Tim Commandeur
Chris Holland
Ashley McConnell
Sarah Gardiner
Stephanie Joske
Kieran Richards
Blake Ross

Operator Please were an Australian pop band, originating in the Gold Coast, Queensland, in 2005. Their final line-up consisted of vocalist and guitarist Amandah Wilkinson, drummer Tim Commandeur, keyboardist Chris Holland, bassist Ashley McConnell and violinist Taylor Henderson. They are best known for their 2007 single "Just a Song About Ping Pong", which won an ARIA Music Award at the 2007 ceremony.[1]

History

2005–2011

Operator Please formed in early 2005 by lead singer and guitarist Amandah Wilkinson and students of Elanora State High School in an attempt to compete in the high school's annual "Battle of the Bands" competition, which they went on to win.[2]

After winning the contest, the five members, aged 17 to 19, recorded and self-released the EP On the Prowl in 2006, limited to 300 handmade copies. The EP included an early version of the song "Just a Song About Ping Pong". The band released a second EP, Cement Cement, in 2006, which generated interest both locally and internationally from a combination of word of mouth and exposure on the Australian youth radio network Triple J, and the band were signed to Virgin Records.[3] The band opened for Arctic Monkeys and Kaiser Chiefs on their 2007 Australian tours.[4]

In July 2007, the band released a re-recorded version of "Just a Song About Ping Pong" as their debut single. The song peaked at number 12 on the ARIA Charts and at the ARIA Music Awards of 2007; the song won the ARIA Award for Breakthrough Artist – Single.[5] Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton labelled Operator Please as "our favourite new band" and "the next big thing".[6][7]

In October 2007, the band released "Get What You Want", which peaked at number 27 on the ARIA Charts.[8] This was followed by the band's debut studio album, Yes Yes Vindictive, in November 2007, which peaked at number 28 on the ARIA album chart.[8]

In 2008, the band toured throughout Europe and Asia[9] and released Yes Yes Vindictive in the UK on 17 March 2008.

Operator Please spent 2009 composing their second album. On 8 February 2010, the band released the album's lead single, "Logic". The band's second album, Gloves, was released on 23 April 2010 in Australia and 31 May 2010 in the rest of the world. The album peaked at number 20 on the ARIA album chart.[8]

In June 2010, the band completed their first headlining tour since late 2008; they were supported by Perth band Tim & Jean and Sydney band Chaingang. Shortly afterwards, they would play a variety of festivals, including Splendour in the Grass and Canberra festival Stonefest. They also played the Australian leg of the 2011 Big Day Out festival. March and April 2011 saw the band tour Australia, this time as the main support for Sydney musician Sparkadia. "Catapult" was released in January 2011 as the fifth and final single from Gloves.

2012–present

Although the band have not officially split,[10] they have been inactive since 2011, and the band members are currently part of other projects. Wilkinson has adopted the moniker Bossy Love, collaborated with John Baillie Jnr of Dananananaykroyd, and released her debut EP Me + You in October 2013;[11] Holland and Commandeur formed the duo Colour Coding and released their debut EP Proof in March 2012, later announcing a hiatus for that project in November 2013.[12]

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions and certifications
Title Details Peak chart positions
AUS
[8]		 UK
[13]
Yes Yes Vindictive
  • Released: November 2007
  • Label: Virgin (5137072)
  • Format: CD
 28157
Gloves
  • Released: 23 April 2010
  • Label: Virgin, EMI Music (50999 6290472 8)
  • Format: CD, DD
 20—

Extended plays

List of EPs, with selected details
Title Details
On the Prowl
  • Released: 2006
  • Label: Operator Please
  • Format: CD
Cement Cement
  • Released: 2006
  • Label: Scorpio Management, Virgin (3864422)
  • Format: CD, DD

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
AUS
[8]		 UK
[13]
"Just a Song About Ping Pong" 2007 12 — Yes Yes Vindictive
"Get What You Want" 27 121
"Leave It Alone" 62 133
"Two for My Seconds" 2008 93 —
"Logic" 2010 47 — Gloves
"Back and Forth" 84 —
"Like Magic" — —
"Volcanic" — —
"Catapult" 2011 — —

Awards and nominations

ARIA Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music.

Year Award Work Result Ref.
2007 ARIA Award for Breakthrough Artist – Single "Just a Song About Ping Pong" Won [14]
ARIA Award for Best Pop Release "Just a Song About Ping Pong" Nominated
ARIA Award for Engineer of the Year Magoo for "Just a Song About Ping Pong" Nominated
2008 ARIA Award for Breakthrough Artist – Album Yes Yes Vindictive Nominated [15]
Best Pop Release Yes Yes Vindictive Nominated

References

  1. ↑ Braithwaite, Alyssa (8 October 2007). "Ping Pong proves a winner for indie band Operator Please". News Limited. Retrieved 15 November 2007.
  2. ↑ "Operator Please". Triple J. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 15 November 2007.
  3. ↑ Mathewson, Catriona (2 August 2007). "Give us more Operator Please". The Courier Mail. Retrieved 21 August 2007.
  4. ↑ "Kaiser Chiefs / Wolf And Cub / Operator Please". Rave Magazine. Retrieved 22 July 2007.
  5. ↑ "ARIA Nominees Announced". SameSame.com.au. Retrieved 21 September 2007.
  6. ↑ "Listen To This: Our New Obsession". Perez Hilton. 15 July 2007. Retrieved 21 August 2007.
  7. ↑ "Listen To This: The New Wave!". Perez Hilton. 5 July 2007. Retrieved 21 August 2007.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Australian chart peaks:
    • All top 50 peaks: "Discography Operator Please". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
    • Top 100 (ARIA) peaks to December 2010: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 209.
  9. ↑ "All Shows for Operator Please". MySpace. Retrieved 21 August 2007.
  10. ↑ "Has Operator Please Called It Quits? No!". Home & Hosed - New Australian Music blog. ABC. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  11. ↑ "Bossy Love Announces Debut Ep 'Me + You' Out October 21st 2013". Contactmusic. 17 September 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  12. ↑ "Colour Coding - It is a little sad to announce, but we..." Colour Coding on Facebook. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  13. 1 2 "Chart Log UK 1994–2010: The O – Ozric Tentacles". zobbel.de. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  14. ↑ "ARIA Awards – History: Winners by Year 2007: 21st Annual ARIA Awards". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 18 November 2007. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  15. ↑ "Winners by Year: 2008". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 13 August 2009. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
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