“Last couple of years, I’ve always said I wanted to play this festival… it’s bucket-list level.”
For rising Manchester-based singer-songwriter Alex Spencer, Reading & Leeds weekend was more than just another festival on an increasingly packed touring schedule.
Speaking backstage after his performance on The Canopy Stage on Sunday afternoon at Reading, Spencer was still riding the adrenaline of a huge weekend that saw him perform at both Reading and Leeds. “I’m relaxed now because we’ve just finished our two sets, Leeds and Reading, and they were some of my best shows I think we’ve done,” he says. “Great energy, and now I’m just chilling!”
For Spencer, earning a place on the Reading & Leeds lineup had been an ambition for several years. When the opportunity finally arrived, it represented a major milestone. “Amazing,” he says. “One, it’s a great lineup, and the last couple of years I’ve always said I wanted to play this festival.”
“I remember when I got the call to get offered it, I was over the moon because it’s bucket-list level.”
It has been a fitting addition to what has already been a remarkable year for the Manchester artist, who has continued to release new music while taking his live show to increasingly larger audiences. Perhaps most notably, Spencer recently joined Louis Tomlinson on his European arena tour, an opportunity that arrived in the middle of his own successful headline run.
“I was on my sold-out UK tour and then the next morning after my Birmingham gig, I got a call from Louis’ manager and his team offering me the 10 shows and the tour,” Spencer explains. “It was a crazy moment for me, to play arenas in Europe. I’m very grateful for that and we had the best time. We connected with his fans so well.”
Of course, life on the road doesn’t always run completely to schedule. “We missed the ferry a couple of times,” he laughs. “We were very bad at timings.”
One particular journey through Scandinavia proved especially memorable. “We were in the middle of Norway and we were trying to get to Finland, and we missed the ferry by about a minute. We had to drive all round the coast in Scandinavia somewhere to make it.”
Despite the logistical challenges, the experience clearly remains a special one: “We just had so much fun. Louis is a really great guy.”
Away from the arena stages, Spencer has also entered a new chapter creatively with the release of his latest EP, These Will Be the Days.
“Amazing, better than I could’ve ever imagined,” he says of the reaction. “I was scared to put this EP out because it’s different to all my stuff, but the fans have connected with it so well.” For Spencer, each of his releases represents a different stage of his life, documenting his journey from school and college into the unfamiliar world of pursuing music full-time. “Each EP has been like a chapter in my life of where I’m at, in school, college, and the real world now doing music full-time. It’s quite scary.”
“This EP talks about growing up and, for a lot of people in this generation, the reality of growing up. A lot of people have related to it.”
“I’m very proud that this EP has been able to capture and say everything that I’ve wanted to say in the past two years.”
The EP has also brought several new favourites to Spencer’s live set. When asked which songs he enjoys performing most, he briefly holds up a paper copy of his setlist before making his selections. “Where Do We Go From Here is a favourite of mine,” he says. “It’s like house-infused indie, inspired by The Wombats, Two Door Cinema Club and New Order, and there’s a great energy onstage.”
“These Will Be the Days, of course, and Nightmares. That one goes off every time, that’s like my Wonderwall,” he laughs.
Nightmares has already become something of a landmark track for Spencer, having appeared on the EA SPORTS FC 25 soundtrack, an achievement that still hasn’t quite sunk in: “After two years, I still can’t process it. It’s mad,” he says.
“It’s mad to see all my high-school mates. I remember telling them I got a tune on FIFA and they were like, ‘Oh, damn,’ and then they started to like my stuff. It’s crazy.”
Despite his growing experience on major stages, Spencer admits he is still relatively new to the festival circuit. However, the memories he has already created suggest he has taken to it rather well. “I’ve not played many festivals yet,” he says. “I think next year we’re going to do a few.”
He points to Neighbourhood Festival as one of his earliest major festival experiences: “That was like my first proper one in the big tent and that was bloody mental. At 1pm, we packed out the big top, a couple of thousand people.”
“We also did TRNSMT, but I’d say the Leeds and Reading weekend is quite special.”
Like any artist, Spencer is constantly taking inspiration from those around him. Given the opportunity to borrow one quality from artists performing at Reading Festival, his answers reflect the range of music that influences his own work.
“I love going to gigs because I learn so much,” he explains. “Yesterday, we only caught Dave and RAYE. Dave is one of my favourite songwriters, so I’d take his songwriting, and his honesty and realism onstage.”
“I’ll take RAYE’s voice. She’s independent and she’s a real voice for this independent scene at the moment.”
“And probably Kneecap’s energy. They’re decent and they’re crazy, and that’s what you need.”
Looking back on his journey so far, Spencer can point to a string of moments that might qualify as a career highlight. “Every year has had something,” he says. “I busked in 2022, then signed a record deal for a little bit, now I’m independent. There was a period where I supported some of my favourite bands, The Royston Club and The Lathums.”
He later sold out his first headline tour, including a significant hometown show. “I sold out my first ever headline tour, including the Academy 2 in Manchester, which was a huge night for us.” Then came the EAFC soundtrack, the European arena tour with Louis Tomlinson and now Reading & Leeds. Yet for Spencer, his biggest milestone may not necessarily be a single performance or accolade. Instead, it is the momentum continuing to build around his music.
“I’d say the biggest milestone now is we’re at the point where I’ve just dropped my fourth EP, and my music is beginning to grow to more people.” And there is little sign of him slowing down. “This autumn, there are loads of shows I’ve not yet announced, but it’s going to be the busiest autumn I’ve ever played, like 60 shows or something between now and December.”
“For me, I love being onstage, and that’s a huge milestone.”
A European headline tour is next on the agenda, beginning just days after his Reading Festival appearance, alongside more new music and increasingly ambitious live plans. “European headline tour starting next week, new music, I’ve been writing a lot of great music, that’s for you guys to judge, bigger supports, bigger headline tours,” he says. “I really want to take my music to South America, and I just want to keep growing!”
And while fans may still have to wait a little longer for a debut album, Spencer leaves no doubt about his ambitions: “My debut album will come one day. Keep waiting, it’s going to be big!”
With the adrenaline of his Reading Festival performance still fresh and a sense of genuine optimism surrounding everything still to come, Alex Spencer’s message is clear: this is only the beginning.
