Photo Credit: Jess Meade
Words: Mia-Jo Vickers

Half an hour before doors the queue already stretched the length of the street; dedicated fans willing to wait in the familiar Manchester rain for what was set to be an incredible show.

Starting off the night strong was opener Freight. Their catchy accoustic melodies and upbeat rhythms were a perfect way to kick off the night. Then Cherryholt took to the stage. Just a day after the anticipated release of their new single, “The Bullet”, it was incredible to see the crowd singing along to every word. Their sound is reminiscent of bands such as The Kooks with each song having it’s own twist effortlessly forming the Cherryholt sound. Both bands managed to bring their own unique styles to the stage whilst also captivatinf the evergrowing audience with their infectious passion, creating the perfect atmosphere just in time for headliner Alex Spencer.

Coming from Manchester himself, Alex understood what a great feat it was to be playing at this sold out venue. He stated, “this is crazy”, after playing his first song of the night,“Love and Let Go”. He looked in awe at the 900 people connecting with him from the crowd, singing the songs that clearly meant so much to them. A chant of his name flowed through the room after almost every song. Spencer‘s talent shines with every song of his, each one having their own unique spin but still managing to show his own trademark sound. A sound that is heavily influenced by his northern, Manchester roots.

Alex made his way through a mostly upbeat setlist until he asked the audience for just three minutes of their time. Suddenly the crowd starts to settle as he states hes,“trying something new”. Torches from phones slowly start turning on giving Alex his own personal spotlight to sing the emotional ballad “Masks”. Throughout his performance you could see him becoming overwhelmed by the response from the audience on this track; not only were flashlights flooding the room, arms were in the air and the lyrics were being yelled out of pure appreciation.

Then it was time for one of his most popular tracks “Nightmares”. Late 2024, it was announced that this song would be on the new Fifa game, opening him and his music up to so many mire people. This sudden shift in tone was perfect, from emotive ballad to a certified banger. The crowd had managed to slow down for just a few minutes, regather their energy then just go absolutely wild for this anticipated song to be played.

Throughout the night Alex continually said that it was the best night of his life, just ever grateful for the amount of people that turned up to see him.

Then he played his newest song “Farewell to Forever”, it had only been released 3 days prior and the crowd already knew the words, once again proving just how dedicated his fans are.

Mid set someone in the audience held up a sign asking to play “Bucket List” on guitar witht the rest of the band. Alex invited him up on stage, claiming he felt ,“like the Foo Fighters or Sam Fender”, for getting people on the stage to perform.

Towards the end of the show Alex said he had a special guest to bring out, and onto the stage came lead singer of Freight, Luka. He said it was time to sing one everyone knew, taking it back to his busking days. Then he began to play “Not 19 Forever”,by the Courteeners. The crowd went insane, this classic Manchester anthem was a perfect way to introduce the end of the night, it became a celebration of this sellout hometown show and just how far he had come.

Then it was time for his final song, “One Way Ticket”. There wasn’t a still person in the room, it felt almost impossible to just observe, everyone had to get involved. Even Alex himself, as he asked the crowd if there was room in the pit for him, proceeding to jump down into the crowd and just close the night on an absolute high.

He began to thank all of his team, family and most importantly the people that turned up for him. His heartfelt thanks showed to the audience just how much being there meant not just to Alex, but also to his younger self, who worked tirelessly to finally achieve this goal of his.

From busking 10 years ago to a sold out headline tour, it’s no doubt that this 19 year old is going to go far.