Single and EP reviews: TWO BEATS APART, THE STANDARD LAMPS

June 30th, 2015 by GRTR! HQ

THE STANDARD LAMPS - Mono EP

THE STANDARD LAMPS – Mono EP www.thestandardlamps.com

A frustrating band name if you want people to find you on Google, The Standard Lamps are a three-piece band who have already landed support slots with The Who and in the autumn support the Bluetones.

Speaking of The Who, on songs like ‘Rosie’ and ‘The Trains Of Tunbridge Wells West’ (yes that is an instrumental as hard to imagine it forming part of a catchy chorus), they sound like the late 60′s/early 70′s Who.

‘The Goodlife’ with its punchy beat reminded me of the Godfathers, whilst the lead song ‘The Model World’ is based on a cracking guitar riff and features a nifty harmony vocal section midway through the song.

The Standard Lamps shine a bright light on their music (sorry couldn’t resist a light based pun) and they have strong melodies and songs. You can see why they have landed such prestigious support slots and these songs should help the band get more established. Modern blues/rock with a heavy nod to the classic Who sound. ****

Review by Jason Ritchie

TWO BEATS APART Aim, Fire EP

St Albans duo Tasha (vocals and piano) and Steve (guitar) have built steadily up to the release of their debut EP, working alongside the likes of Chrissie Hynde and Reeves Gabrels, got national airplay through a BBC Introducing feature, and featured in Hollyoaks.

Their brand of light acoustic based pop is of the sort you’d expect to hear on smaller ‘introducing’ stages throughout the summer festival season and it’s pleasant enough folk based pop. The opener – ‘Aim’ – is a gentle acoustic strummed number, with ethereal, dreamy, but a little muddied, vocals. It’s nice. ‘Fire’ follows a similar pattern – Tasha’s pretty vocals floating over a delicate accompaniment, but it’s somewhat repetitive in construction, while ‘Twentyfour’ is a moody number on which some welcome electric lead guitar work is added to the mix.

A refreshing enough cocktail, if somewhat short measured. Would it be enough to delay my trip to the beer tent on a balmy English summer afternoon? A definite maybe. ***

Review by Pete Whalley

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions,

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio

David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 16 November 2025.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This 600th show was first broadcast on 18 November 2025

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen live or listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com

Power Plays w/c 1 December 2025

We feature all the artists selected in this sequence in 2025.

Featured Albums w/c 1 December 2025

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Singer Songwriter)

Our occasional Newsletter signposts latest additions to the website(s). We also include a selection of recent top albums, based on GRTR! reviewer ratings. The newsletter is sent out a few times a year.

If you’d like to register to receive this occasional mailing please complete the form:

If using a smartphone/tablet please tap here or re-orientate your device

(Note that this registration is separate from site registration which allows you to leave comments and receive daily emails about new content. If you wish to register for this – in addition or separately – please click or tap here – for more information – the form is at the foot of each page. Please read our privacy policy when opting-in to receive emails.