16-year-old busker Alex Spencer’s career has gone from strength to strength in the past couple of years. Now, after starting out singing on the rainy streets of Manchester, he has managed to bag himself a record deal.
You absolutely love to see it.
Young Alex from Droylsden has been entertaining passersby on Market Street and people all around Greater Manchester for some time now, and after years of graft that only a true music-loving Manc could muster, the local lad is taking the next step in his promising career.
Having made the step up from being one of many talented Manc buskers to playing plenty of proper gigs and even serenading the likes of the City squad, he has now been signed by record label Modern Sky and is set to release his first official single this April.
Credit: Alex Spencer (via Instagram)
Since stepping out of his home with a borrowed guitar under his arm as a young boy, Alex Spencer has gone from covering classics by 10CC, Arctic Monkeys and Sam Fender, to playing at the likes of New Century, Band on the Wall, Manchester Academy 3 and even in front of 20,000 at the AO Arena.
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After securing an Arena slot as part of Young Voices’ ones to look out for in 2022 and even getting some airplay on Radio X, the teenager was spotted by the very same record company that launched The Lathums, Jamie Webster, Brooke Combe and even The Coral back in the day.
Now, Alex is focusing on writing songs of his own and has recently finished five for his upcoming EP, one of those being his lead single, ‘A Night To Waste’, with all of them set to be released via Modern Sky.
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This, however, isn’t the first time we’ve come across Alex; The Manc Audio has had the pleasure of chatting and watching him busk on a number of occasions. This was the most recent.
We’re beyond chuffed to see how far he’s come in such a short space of time and can’t wait to see him go far — which, of course, he definitely will.
Speaking ahead of the release of his debut record, Alex said: “It’s about the life of a teenager who wants to live their life a little and get out of the same old boring suburb. It’s about enjoying a good time with your friends and reminding you that none of us have a night to waste.
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“It’s the same for so many people my age, especially after all the setbacks we’ve had over the past few years with lockdowns stopping us in our tracks.”
‘A Night To Waste’ drops on 25 April 2023; we were fortunate enough to get a sneak peek and, believe us, you’re in for a treat. This boy’s going to be big, so be sure to keep up to date with what he’s got coming next.
All-girl K-pop powerhouse aespa book MASSIVE Manchester arena show
Danny Jones
All-girl K-pop group, ‘aespa’, are coming to Manchester for some of their largest performances to date as part of a new global tour.
If you know anything about the K-pop scene, you’ll know that most acts are even bigger than you could ever imagine.
Manchester has gained a steady supply of gigs from artists within the genre over the past year or so, and now aespa are the latest to book the AO Arena for a headline show.
Rest assured, these tickets will fly…
aespa SYNK : COMPLæXITY
Catch the LIVE TOUR in Manchester at @AOArena on Thu 14th January 2027!
Register by [Wed 29 Apr at 6AM PT / 8PM CT / 9AM ET] for access to the artist presale: https://t.co/JuWFFMCE8Q
Dubbed the ‘SYNK : Complæxity World Tour’, this follows on from their last live iteration, ‘æXIS LINE’ shows, which began back in August 2025 and, technically, have only just ended this April.
As per an official press release, “Produced by Live Nation, the tour will bring aespa’s acclaimed live production and immersive performance experience to arenas across Asia, North America, Latin America, the UK, and Europe.”
There are actually just two shows in the entirety of Britain (the other being down in the capital), and Manchester has the good fortune of kicking off not only being the first of both, but the inaugural date of the entire European leg.
Consider us honoured.
Made up of a talented quartet – Karina, Giselle, Winter, and Ningning, the rising South Korean stars – this female-led phenomenon is arguably one of the fastest rising acts in the world of K-pop.
Having now been to a couple of these shows for ourselves, we’re starting to understand that these artists might have some of the most passionate followings on the planet.
Kicking off the latest run of performances back in their home country’s capital of Seoul, they’ll hit multiple continents before wrapping things up in Paris.
aespa EU tour dates 2027
14 January – AO Arena, Manchester
16 Jan – London
19 Jan – Amsterdam
22 Jan – Stockholm
24 Jan – Copenhagen
26 Jan – Berlin
29 Jan – Milan
31 Jan – Barcelona
2 February – Paris
If you’re a fan or are interested in throwing your hat in the ring for a first K-pop gig experience, you can register by signing up for their exclusive pre-sale window.
As for general admission, tickets to see aespa at the AO Arena in Manchester will go live at 3pm on Wednesday, 6 May; you can get ready to grab yours HERE.
Music industry rallies around pub and music venue as it’s hit with ‘malicious’ noise complaints
Daisy Jackson
A much-loved pub and live music venue is struggling with a series of ‘malicious’ noise complaints, prompting a huge outpouring of support from music industry insiders.
The Golden Lion over in Todmorden is facing uncertainty amidst the complaints from ‘some random’.
Matthanee ‘Gig’ Nilavongse, who runs the venue and its live music offering, said he’s ‘had enough’ and believes The Golden Lion is being targeted, The Hoot reports.
It echoes a similar situation in Manchester city centre several years ago, when Night & Day Cafe faced closures based on noise complaints from a resident in a nearby flat.
Gig stressed that nothing in the venue – the sound system, sound proofing, or anything else in its set-up – has changed since the noise complaints started.
He also added that people have been travelling from across the UK and even further afield to attend its events, benefitting the wider community of businesses and local economy.
He added: “Bank holiday next weekend and I’II not tolerate the threat from anyone.”
Hundreds of people, including industry names like Sacha Lord, Luke Cowdrey, and Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard, have voiced their support for the grassroots venue.
Sacha Lord offered his help fighting the complaints, then added: “I’m sick to death of these NIMBYS who threaten businesses and jobs.”
Chelsea Teesdale, head of marketing for the Warehouse Project and Parklife, said: “Sorry you’re going through this. The golden lion means so much to many. I go to all kinds of gigs and venues, nothing is quite like the magic of your home.”
And Nite School Manchester wrote: “So sorry to hear you’re going through this. What you’ve built at The Golden Lion for the people of Tod (& far beyond!) is a guiding star to us Gig, and we’ll be doing everything we can to support you & the team.”
Following on from this heartwarming display of affection for the venue, Gig added: “Thank you for all supports near and far, you’re close to my heart.
“The show must go on, I’m not back down until the door is close.”
Danny Jones -
30th March 2023 
