Last Saturday, the ANU Bar was set to hold one of the best gigs from one of the newest and youngest bands to grace its stage. With doors opening at 8pm and a stack of offers for free tickets, it was surprising to see so few people coming early to see a great line-up of Operator Please, with Melbourne crooners Little Red and electro-kids Flamingo Crash.

Flamingo Crash is an Australian electro-pop group with some great potential to say the least. They started the night with some upbeat numbers and a couple of slow songs that appeared to pay homage to some classic nu wave sounds from The Cure’s Disintegration days, getting us all into the right mood for the night. They’re also set to play this coming weekend at Essential Festival with Regurgitator, Ratatat, Dardanelles, Grafton Primary and The Silents.

Next up were Little Red, whose classic rock-n-roll sounds have been crossing the airwaves all over the country on Triple J. This five-piece wowed the relatively small audience with four-part harmonies, three lead vocal parts and songs ranging from the classic ‘60s style of Witch Doctor through to some very funky get-up-and-dance songs. But no rock set would be complete without an extended drum solo, and the happiest looking drummer in the world Taka Honda was happy to oblige the tradition about two-thirds through.

After a long wait from the finish of Little Red, the sixty-odd strong crowd (down at least twenty of the usuals to see the band) went wild for Operator Please as they casually strolled on stage for a very tight Yes Yes. This was truly a great set from the group, as they’ve come a very long way in a short time. In about two years, they have risen from an intriguing support group this reviewer saw at an I Heart Hiroshima gig in Ric’s Bar in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, through a stint of support tours to most recently a massive European tour, which is soon to continue this weekend. While we onlookers were small in number, there was no lack of excitement or enthusiasm. Amandah was happy to express her love and appreciation for those that came along for their last show before going overseas.

The show itself was very tight. The latest live rendition of Get What You Want was amazing, and the extended intro and energy from Just A Song About Ping Pong made it bearable, despite it being no doubt the 600th time many of us had heard it that week. They also managed to get some of their touring mates into a dance routine for their cover of Devo’s Whip It. Some maturity was starting show from the band when they pulled out a heart-breaking performance of 6/8.

Then, out of nowhere, they went back to the Cement Cement EP and played Two For My Seconds, which they haven’t played since the short tour last September. Finally, it all had to come to an end, busting out Zero Zero before saying “goodnight,” getting in their van and going back to the UK. It would appear that Operator Please are still somewhat afraid of doing encores at this stage. Even so, there is at least one reviewer looking forward to where they go in the next 18 months from this tour.