I won’t bore with the detail but at present my life is decidedly not my own. However, while fashionably late after release date here, I just had to drop a few thoughts on 16 year old Manchester based Alex Spencer and his new debut single A Night To Waste. It’s too good to pass by.

I’m at the other end of the age spectrum to Alex (the clown who stumbles, trips and bumps into people and things in the barren wastes of an ill lit gig venue, dear reader), but the lyrics of A Night To Waste still hit a chord.

Alex says of the tune:

“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 their friends and that ‘none of us have got a night to waste’.

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 is instantly likable with a great catchy hookline and a youthful vocal which gives tale to a strong musical range and although there’s spike to Spencer’s voice, there’s also a soothing tone. I can only imagine how great and versatile Alex’s voice will be in a few years time.

I’m very much a fan of Nietzsche philosophy towards life, to live every day as fully as possible, to aim to die without regret, and the vibe of this tune rather hits that chord. We might be young, but we are impatient and there’s not a night to waste. Nice.

That said, despite his youth, Alex has already cut his musical teeth the hard way, playing to a sometimes indifferent (or sometimes perhaps the weirdly fixated) audience of the Manchester city centre passer by. I actually remember Alex playing some covers on the streets pre lockdown and thinking there was a considerable talent there, and a considerable amount of guts and determination to boot.

So musically, I get a vibe for someone who knows his way around the streets, there’s definitely something about the raw edge of Jake Bugg or Sam Fender here. There’s definitely that spark and energy of impatient youth but with an experienced rounded edge too. Kind of the real deal in fact.

Watch this lad shoot up the festival listing over the next couple of years and look out for some upcoming gigs with his band.

Words by Tiggerligger

* images from Alex Spencer’s socials