If you listened to Aussie music at all in 2007, Operator Please were inescapable. Surely you remember them, they were the ones that had that song, that song about ping pong. Most importantly though, they were the very picture of an Aussie success story, especially considering the young ages of the members.
Operator Please burst onto the scene in 2007 with their track ‘Just a Song About Ping Pong’, before following it up with the underrated ‘Get What You Want’ and ‘Leave It Alone’. However, since bands that make catchy pop music tend to be derided by many, they were considered a laughing stock by many, with many fans at their 2008 Big Day Out appearances showing up with homemade signs which said ‘Operator Please shut up’.
The band broke up in 2011 following the release of their second album Gloves, thereby undeservedly relegating themselves to somewhat of a footnote in Australia’s indie pop scene. These days though, it turns out one of their members has bucked that former stigma and is up to something pretty nifty.
Tim Commandeur, the band’s former drummer, is making music under his surname now, and seems to be making quite a profile for himself. According to his triple j Unearthed profile, Commandeur is influenced by contemporaries such as Hayden James, The Kite String Tangle, and RÜFÜS, a far cry from the indie pop sound he started out with.
In addition to hearing a few of his songs on the triple j airwaves, if you find yourself going to see either KLP or Tkay Maidza in a live setting, you’re more than likely going to see Tim Commandeur pounding the skins as the live drummer for each act.
In fact, just last night Commandeur performed as part of Tkay Maidza’s live band for the Australian Open’s series of concerts, proving that he’s outgrown his days of table tennis, and is now more of a fan of regular tennis.
