The scorching sun of the Iberian Peninsula beat down on Mad Cool’s massive crowds yesterday, turning seasoned music fans into pools of melted mush. Luckily, though, a stacked line-up of world-beating performers provided sufficient on-stage energy to reshape those flagging crowds in their own rock and roll image.
Headliners Muse wrapped up day one in Madrid with a typically fiery set that more than made up for Kings Of Leon’s last minute withdrawal. You can read all about Devon’s finest prog wizards and their era-spanning space-tacular here – but what about the festival’s other highlights so far? Allow Team NME to pick them out for you…
Words: Rhian Daly, Liberty Dunworth, Alex Flood, Andrew Trendell
Blondshell (6.05pm, Ouigo)
Back in Madrid for the first time since 2023, Blondshell pushed through the early evening heat on the Ouigo Stage to play songs from her recent second album ‘If You Asked For A Picture’. Set opener ‘23’s A Baby’ and fellow single ‘T&A’ provided singalong moments, while ‘Change’ tapped into the claustrophobic energy that coursed through Sabrina Teitelbaum’s 2023 self-titled debut. Tracks from that record picked up where ‘Change’ left off, the weighty tension in their layers making ‘Olympus’ and ‘Salad’ hit even harder, lifting the crowd out of a heat-induced lull. ‘Kiss City’ remains a key highlight, the singer laying out her most intimate desires candidly, the urgency in her voice growing as the song progressed. While performing, Teitelbaum wore an olive green t-shirt emblazoned with the word “stupid”, but Blondshell’s performance was anything but. RD
Gracie Abrams (8.15pm, Region Of Madrid)
Not even technical difficulties could hold back Gracie Abrams from charming the Mad Cool crowd. From Glastonbury to Open’er, this summer has marked a long run of festival appearances for the singer and thankfully, this momentary setback only served to prove how adapt she is at coping with the pressure.
“To be here is the greatest feeling. You have the most unbelievable energy,” she said before heading into the crowd and belting out unplugged renditions of ‘In Between’ and ‘us’ during the delay. Funnily enough, it was in these moments of confusion when Abrams best showcased the deep connection she has with her fans. Even without working screens behind her, pop’s current acoustic queen held the audience in the palm of her hand as she closed with a “dance party” rendition of ‘Close To You’. LD
Bright Eyes (8.25pm, Ouigo)
“You are now at a Bright Eyes concert,” the backdrop welcomes us in retro 8-bit glory. “Bonne chance!” It’s an amiable greeting from Conor Oberst and co, sun-kissed and ready to rock out on the intimate Ouigo Stage at Mad Cool 2025. From the poetically decadent ‘Four Winds’ via the “one about smoking cocaine in the wilds of America” with ‘Gold Mine Gutted’, Bright Eyes’ ramshackle alt-country takes us from the dusty badlands of Spain to the dusty badlands of the US.
Highlights come in the form of choppy punk tune ‘Jejune Stars’ and fellow ‘People’s Key’ banger ‘Shell Games’. Oberst’s in fine fettle too, with some impressive footwork saved for ‘Mariana Trench’ and lounge lizard cool for Tumblr anthem ‘First Day Of My Life’. “I don’t know how it feels over here but we’re from the United States and it feels really dark over there,” he warns of growing fascism and doing whatever you can to “light a candle” to brighten the corners. As he steps off stage and spreads a little love to the front rows on the beautiful ‘One For You, One For Me’, we can safely say that it was mission accomplished. AT
The Blessed Madonna (9.40pm, The Loop Iberdrola)
“My name’s Marea – and I’m from the Midwest rave scene,” read the huge LED screens set up for superstar DJ The Blessed Madonna‘s set at Mad Cool on Thursday evening. A fairly circumspect introduction, to be sure, but the US electronic music legend’s vibey performance was anything but ordinary.
Stuffed with funky house bangers plus a significant dose of trance, TBM’s 90-minute turn took a packed-out tent at the The Loop Stage through a blistering education in dance music, via psychedelic visuals – and (thanks to some shoulder-shaking moves) also provided a crash course in how to look effortlessly cool while doing it. By the time some of the crowd had departed to nab a good spot for Muse by the main stage, the sun had departed below the horizon – and the rest of the festival’s first night had been set up perfectly. AF
NME is the official media partner of Mad Cool