The Naked Spoons were so back- for a bit
A band forged through friendship and being able to practice in the frontman’s nans garage- they came back for one night only
When you think of bands who have come from Northampton, you might not be able to name any. But you should- and the best one you could name is The Naked Spoons.
A few guys who know their way around the respected instruments hit the music scene hard in the mid-2010s. With a loyal following of school friends, groupies if you will (myself included in that) they created some great nights out for us all.
Like with a lot of big bands, life got in the way. Granted, The Beatles did not take a long hiatus because Paul McCartney went to study at Nottingham University, but you get the picture I’m trying to paint here.
To mark the occasion of frontman Jacob getting married, he decided to literally get the band back together. Over eight years since they last did, the Naked Spoons graced the stage of the Charles Bradlaugh pub. On what also felt like a bit of a reunion and massively like a throwback, Jacob, Maciek, Yoram, and Sam made everyone in that room feel like they were the most important person in the room. A special particular shout-out to Mr Sam Newman for looking very ‘Alex Turner back from the USA’ on he night.
Back in the day, The Naked Spoons blessed the world with a couple of original tracks. In a short but sweet set, the one that was given a run-out was ‘Picture Plan’ which- on a nostalgic night- took me back to when I first heard it. That night was a blur, and I couldn’t tell you how it sounded then or where we were when I heard it, but it definitely happened and it was great. Beers in a park were involved, and we rolled from there.
A showpiece of the NS sets of yesteryear was a cover of ‘R U Mine’ by Arctic Monkeys. Jacob told the crowd before kicking off the tune that ‘this one is for the boys’. As a boy myself, I had a bloody great time listening to them give a stunning rendition of an AM song loved by thousands. The track was sewn together with Yoram on backing vocals oh so sweetly.
On this evening in a wet Northampton (July by the way, you wouldn’t think it would you?) I discovered my new favourite three words. Maciek. On. Vocals. Jacob uttered that to the crowd, before welcoming the drummer out from behind his kit. Singing Blink-182’s ‘I Miss You’ we were given a treat with Jacob and Maciek belting out the iconic song.
The band, and many of us fans, have moved up and on with our lives with partners, jobs, and new parts of the country (and the world, in Jacob’s case), but for one night and on a special occasion- we were taken back to a simpler time of getting drunk and watching our best mates rock out with very few cares in the world.
The Naked Spoons will probably go another few years before getting back together unless any of the other members want to follow the big man’s lead and get married because let's be honest — what’s better than a few beers with guys who you’ve had the pleasure to call mates for the majority of my life.
