Mad Cool going from strength to strength for 10 years is pretty impressive, but to all of those who made it to end of their four-day, legend-packed, sun-baked anniversary bash in Madrid – we salute you!
Yesterday (July 11) was another one for the books, and you can read about why Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ headline set made it so damn special in NME‘s review over here. You can also feast your weary eyes on the best photos from Saturday here, but why not relive the magic and sink yourself into Team NME‘s absolute highlights from day four below? You do that, while we go find some shade and have a long overdue nap. See you in 2027.
Words: Jordan Bassett, Rhian Daly, Liberty Dunworth, Andrew Trendell
Matt Berninger (8.55pm, Orange Stage)
The last time Matt Berninger was at Mad Cool was with The National back in 2019. They were headlining that night, but the frontman still brought out all of his most disarming moves as if he was topping the bill for his mid-evening Orange set on the closing Saturday of the Madrid festival this year.
Through the skittering sweet sadness of ‘No Love’, it only took one song for Berninger to head into the front rows of the crowd like he owns the damn place. He then introduced ‘Frozen Oranges’ as being “about Donald Trump’s balls”, but in actual fact its capturing of youthful weekend nostalgia is pretty spot-on for those still standing for this sweet sunset festival moment.
The treats kept on coming with new song ‘Martini Me Fatso’ (a swaggering little garage indie number, reminiscent of Berninger’s other, other band El Vy – one of three new songs being released in the week ahead, we’re told) and the gorgeous ‘Walking On A String’, sans Phoebe Bridgers but still a perfect tender hangover-ready tearjerker. The paranoid breakdown of ‘Nowhere Special’ cleared the decks in a most deranged fashion before he gave us two sad National bangers with ‘Slow Show’ and ‘Terrible Love’, this time with Matt invading the crowd as far as mic lead will allow him. He promised that the “best band ever” are currently “cooking stuff” and we will “see them soon”, but as he closed with his best solo moments ‘Bonnet Of Pins’ and ‘Inland Ocean’ from the delightful ‘Get Sunk’, we were happy to just have him here tonight. (AT)
TTSSFU (9.05pm, Mahou Reserva)
TTSSFU’s debut performance at Mad Cool was a hit, but it seemed like it could have gone very differently. “Everyone give a round of applause to Luigi for fixing the guitar,” the project’s mastermind Tasmin Stephens told the crowd as that tech saviour handed her her instrument after ‘California’. “I thought we were only gonna do one song then.”
Crisis averted, and it was time for Stephens and her band to show Madrid what they were made of, delivering a set of grungy shoegaze that tapped into raw emotion. Performing barefoot, Stephens led the audience through some of the highlights of her discography so far and gave a nod to the man whose band would close out proceedings on the main stage later. “This next song is about having a crush,” she told the tent before ‘Baggage’. “I dedicate it to Jarvis Cocker.”
Later, Stephens upped the ante even during ‘Studio 54’, clambering off stage and over the barrier, into the crowd, where she danced with audience members and ran through the middle of the tent, turning up the energy. Speaking to NME backstage, she promised plenty of “wailing”, but it was two short, sharp screams that brought ‘I Hope You Die’ and the whole set to a close, before Stephens pegged it offstage, Mad Cool still processing what just hit it. (RD)
David Byrne (00.05am, Orange stage)
Of course David Byrne closed the Orange stage at this year’s Mad Cool: his bonanza of a set sees the art-pop eccentric and his troupe clad entirely in said colour, after all. For more than half a century, he’s been raising an arched eyebrow at the world – and we sure do need his anarchic sense of humour right now.
The 74-year-old certainly gave us reasons to be cheerful throughout this totally unique performance, though it had a political edge too. As he and his backing musicians moved in formation across the stage, video screens depicted a variety of colourful environs – waves, a misty forest – before the Talking Heads track ‘Life During Wartime’ was accompanied by images of brutal ICE raids.
Elsewhere in the show, the videos were emblazoned with the words: “CONGRATULATIONS HUMANITY YOU’VE MADE IT.” Time marches on, but you can always rely on David Byrne to make sense of the madness. Same as it ever was. (JB)
Pulp (0.40am, Region Of Madrid)
“Madrid, I have a question… Are you mad for it?” Jarvis Cocker asked us as Pulp closed out the main stage, before playfully rolling his eyes and quipping: “I know what you’re thinking… ‘Yorkshire, yeah?’” Unsurprisingly, that initial question quickly got its answer as the Sheffield indie icons broke out fan favourite ‘Disco 2000’, leading to one of the biggest sing-alongs of the entire 2026 festival.
Running into the early hours of Sunday morning, their set also saw classics like ‘Babies’ and ‘Do You Remember The First Time’ come in thick and fast, as well as a euphoric rendition of newer single ‘Spike Island’ and an elaborate performance of ‘Farmer’s Market’ — which the frontman fittingly introduced by throwing some grapes into the crowd.
Fluttering between intense theatrical performances of deeper cuts and straightforward, feel-good versions of their biggest hits, the closing set was a pure visual spectacle from start to end. The cherry on top of Pulp’s cake? Cocker announcing a positive World Cup update for England fans after breaking into ‘Common People’… (LD)
NME is the official media partner of Mad Cool.
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