Mad Cool 2025 got off to an explosive start in Madrid yesterday (July 10), with performances from Blondshell, Refused and The Wombats warming us up for an electrifying weekend ahead.
Whether it was Gracie Abrams overcoming technical setbacks and bringing her signature style of ethereal pop to the Region Of Madrid Stage, Weezer taking us back to the noughties when closing out the Orange Stage or Muse perfecting their mammoth production at the Villaverde site, there was something for everyone on the opening day of this year’s event. Check out NME‘s fave pics below:
Blondshell brought some West Coast indie cool
Former NME Cover star Sabrina Teitelbaum, better known as Blondshell, made her way to the 2025 festival as one of the first scheduled performers and brought the Ouigo Stage to life with tracks from her latest album ‘If You Asked For A Picture’.
Mother Mother covered a few classics
The first act to grace the main Region Of Madrid stage, Mother Mother, heated things up with a riff-heavy opening hour – and even took things up a notch by covering both Chappell Roan‘s hit ‘HOT TO GO’ and Pixies‘ banger ‘Where Is My Mind?’.
Iggy Pop partied (as per)
Not even technical issues could stop Iggy Pop from bringing a barnstormer set to Madrid. After getting off to a rocky start due to heat-related issues with the sound and lighting, the punk icon went on to prove why he has been one of the biggest names in the genre for nearly 50 years.
Gracie Abrams soldiered on in style
Iggy Pop wasn’t the only one who faced technical setbacks during his set. Over at Region Of Madrid, Gracie Abrams proved she could endure the mishap like a pro though, bringing her bedroom pop to Spain’s biggest stage, leading an acoustic singalong of ‘Mess It Up’ from the crowd, and closing the set with a ‘Close To You’ dance party.
Muse closed the main stage with a bang
You would never know that Muse were booked as last-minute headliners following Kings Of Leon dropping out due to injury, as their monstrous, pyro-laden set saw visitors gather en masse. With hits like ‘Supermassive Black Hole’ and ‘Uprising’, paired with a full fireworks display at the end, this was undoubtedly one of the most elaborate Mad Cool sets in recent memory.
Refused provided the perfect set to remember them by
While Muse dominated the main stage, hardcore punk heavyweights Refused were over at the Ouigo Stage delivering one of the best sets of the night. Taking place as part of their farewell tour, this explosive outing gave Matt Bellamy and co. a run for their money, and wasn’t to be missed.
Weezer rocked the Orange Stage
Fresh off their huge set at Glastonbury 2025, Weezer brought classic tracks like ‘Beverly Hills’ and ‘Buddy Holly’ to the Mad Cool Orange stage, closing out the first night of performances with a bang. Following on from Muse’s mammoth headline performance and Refused’s hardcore whirlwind, the noughties icons brought their A-game.
The Wombats did what they do best
Also taking to the stage for one of the last performances of the night were indie giants The Wombats. While the sun may not have been out for their 1am slot, that didn’t stop the Liverpudlian legends from bringing some feel-good summer energy to the Ouigo stage.
NME is the official media partner of Mad Cool