The Standard Lamps - Reunion show
The Standard Lamps
🕢 Venue opens - 7:00 pm : 🕚 Event finishes - 11:00pm
🪑 Standing show
Local rockers*** The Standard Lamps*** are back for a special show on the 11th of December 2025 at the Tunbridge Wells Forum!
The Standard Lamps were formed in 2008 and went on to support Rock legends The Who 9 times as well as supporting Wilko Johnson, The Bluetones, The Pretty Things and many others.
The band built up a strong following up and down the country, and released two albums ‘Sell Everything You Own’ and ‘Long Lost Love’, and were played on BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music. The band took an indefinite hiatus in December 2017.
‘It’s going to be lovely to play a whole show of those songs again, especially as we’ll be back playing at The Forum where we left off. It’s been a very long time, and we’re ready to have a bit of fun again! Please come and bring all the family!’
Line Up
The Standard Lamps are a three piece band from East Sussex/Kent. Their music can be described as a mixture of melodic tunes with a raw blues edge.
The Standard Lamps are:
Mike Wilton: Guitar, Vocals James Livett: Bass Matt Bennie: Drums
In the past 5 years, The Lamps have released their debut album 'Sell Everything You Own', 3 singles and 2 EPs. Their second album is due for October 2015. The band has supported the likes of The Who, Wilko Johnson and Roger Daltrey, Mark Morriss, The Pretty Things, Son Of Dave and Tom Williams And The Boat. The band will be supporting The Bluetones on their 8 date UK tour in September 2015.
What the critics say -
'The Lamps' as they are fondly known by their fans, recently received critical acclaim whilst supporting THE WHO on their WHO HITS 50 Tour (November/December 2014.)
Pat Gilbert in MOJO magazine (Dec 2014) describes them as - 'The Who of 40 years ago' adding 'Guitarist Mike Wilton sharing Townshend's easy way with a big crowd, and teasing everything from scratchy skiffy rhythms to hard, proggy riffs from a cherry red SG. A three-piece, they are tight and bluesy, with Wilton riffing on his Harmonica, but they're also able to deftly channel THE JAM'S angled, modernist pop on tracks like The Model World.'
Capital FM Arena Nottingham - 5th December 2014
'First up were the impressive (and surprisingly unsigned) Tunbridge Wells trio The Standard Lamps, who took to the massive stage without a single hint of nerves to blast out a series of sharply written, witty rockers that went down a storm. Comprising singer-guitarist Mike Wilton, James Livett on bass and Matt Bennie on drums, the band so impressed Wilko Johnson's former manager when they supported him that she signed them them up herself.
It was easy to see why. Their streamlined rock would have been instantly recognisable to The Who's early audiences but is filtered through with the sensibility and wit of the Internet age. Highlights included Living With Mum And Dad, I'm A Little Bit Scared Of You and a remarkable version of Dylan's I Shall Be Released. Best of all was the poignant original See You Again, dedicated to sadly departed legendary Faces keyboard man Ian McLagan. We'll be hearing more of them." Nottingham Post (Dec 2014)
MOJO Magazine (PG January 2015) ''It was mind blowing' say Mike Wilton - front person of Tunbridge Wells power-rock trio THE STANDARD LAMPS of their recent support slot on The Who's UK arena tour. With a hard rocking' sound somewhere between The Who By Numbers and Dr. Feelgood's - Down By the Jetty and lanky light bearded Wilton susceptible to squawking on a harp and picking blue grass on his SG, the Lamps are reassuringly old-fashioned, as self-released album Sell Everything You Own attests.
