'It's ticked off the bucket list': Manchester rising star Alex Spencer on opening Leeds Festival stage
From busking on the streets of Manchester to opening the Canopy Stage at Leeds Festival 2026, rising indie artist Alex Spencer speaks to the Yorkshire Evening Post about his rapid rise and living out his Leeds Festival dream
Rising indie singer-songwriter Alex Spencer has described performing at Leeds Festival 2026 as a major "bucket list" moment after kicking off the live action at Bramham Park.
The 19-year-old Manchester artist opened The Canopy Stage early in the weekend, performing to a packed tent of eager music fans. Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post backstage shortly after his set, Spencer couldn't hide his excitement over the crowd's reception.
"It was crazy, man," Spencer said. "Opened the Canopy Stage, but it was full early on. Buzzing!"
Spencer’s performance at Bramham Park marks the latest milestone in a remarkable DIY journey that began seven years ago on the streets of his hometown.
"Seven years ago, I started busking on the streets of Manchester and just kept at it, and built my way up," he explained. "I guess, all on social media, shared my crowd, and kept writing songs, supporting artists... Louis Tomlinson for a lot of it."
Unlike many contemporary breakout acts, Spencer attributes his growing fanbase to traditional grit and live shows rather than going viral overnight.
"I've never blown up on trend or on TikTok or anything, so it's always been more of raw people coming to shows and word of mouth," he said. "We did support Louis Tomlinson in Europe, which was insane... and now it's just growing."
Despite living only an hour away across the Pennines, this year marks Spencer's very first trip to Leeds Festival after a missed opportunity in his teenage years.
"I was supposed to when I finished my GCSEs, but I was travelling for a bit," he revealed. "Catfish [and the Bottlemen] were headlining that year, I wish I came, but I'm here now!"
For the young songwriter, standing on stage at Bramham Park represents the realization of a lifelong goal.
"Playing Leeds Festival, it's huge!" Spencer added. "I've always wanted to play this festival. It's one of the biggest festivals, obviously as well as Glastonbury.
But to be playing this stage and seeing so many people come for me, it's ticked off the bucket list!"