The 10 performances that defined Mad Cool 2026

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Madrid's Mad Cool has expanded to four days, bringing together the biggest names rock and alternative alongside the next big things in pop and beyond. Taking place in the vast astroturf playground of Iberdrola Music, tens of thousands of sun-worshipping music-lovers descended on the grounds to soak up everything from Moby and Florence And The Machine to A Perfect Circle and Foo Fighters across one of the hottest weekends of the year.

Having slapped on the factor 50 and trusty festival cap, we went in search of some tinto de verano and big riffs. And this is what we found...

“It’s too fucking hot all our gear just turned off,” says a slightly miffed Sebastian Danzig by way of explanation for the confusing beeping during opening track Death Or Glory. But even though the mercury is nudging the 40-degree mark, there’s a decent turnout on Mad Cool’s second stage for the first band of the day, braving the heat but not quite ready to give it their all as there’s a long night ahead. Spraying the front rows with a Super Soaker, frontman Remington Leith does his utmost to bring some energy, careering and strutting around the stage to Little Bastards and Feel Something, Great. Climaxing with the frontman being bounced around the crowd on a dinghy, it’s a whistle-stop tour through Palaye’s hitlist, but never really feels like it gets going properly.

There was some worry that The Warning might not make it to Madrid, having been forced to cancel two shows previously due to drummer Pau falling ill, but you wouldn’t know it today as she tears through the opening set on the main stage, surrounded by her sisters in arms. The last time we saw the Villarreal siblings at Mad Cool they had been bumped up to the main stage due to another band pulling out, but they’ve more than earned this spot today having been on an incredible trajectory over the past two years, connecting with fans in both hemispheres. As security hose the crowd down, the Monterrey powerhouse blast through Escapism, MONEY and pounding new track Ritual, in a clear demonstration of their newfound momentum and eyes for even bigger slots down the line.

Very much bringing the cool to Mad Cool, VILLANELLE have packed out one of the expanded indoor stages this afternoon – possibly due to the air conditioning, or thanks to their brand of jangly, Deftones-inflected grunge. You can definitely hear hints of frontman Gene Gallagher’s Oasis-y father in his voice, but this fledgling outfit is more akin to ‘90s Seattle than Manchester. While it’s clear they’re still finding their feet musically, and three guitars is probably overkill, there are a bunch of interesting ideas at play and obvious ambition to take things so much further sonically. And judging by the reaction today, there’ll be a lot of fans coming along for the ride.

As you enter the vast Loop stage, you’re hit by a wall of body heat and weed smoke, as those in search of some California alt.rock file into what will be the dedicated dance music tent for the rest of the weekend. Of course, there are a lot of curious onlookers here, vying to get photo of Keanu Reeves on bass despite doing his damnedest to remain low-key, but Dogstar’s crunching indie-grunge offers more than enough reason for people to stick around. Focusing almost entirely on their new album, it’s slick and straight from the recently-returned veterans, who are enjoying finding a new generation of fan on this intense festival run.

“Alright motherfuckers, you wanna dance? Let’s dance!” The question Dave Grohl poses as his merry men hit the stage is surely a rhetorical one, as it seems pretty much everyone here on the first day of Mad Cool is here for Foo Fighters. And they are up for it.

Having last played this particular summer weekender back in 2017 on the Concrete And Gold tour, Madrid’s premier rock festival have been waiting a long time for the giants to return, and from the off it’s pandemonium amongst the 50,000-plus revellers, belting out every lyric into the still warm night sky. In fact you’d be hard pushed to find anyone incapable of singing along to the most unfuckwithable opening throw of All My Life, The Pretender, and Times Like These, all still popping with the same urgency and excitement that they initially instilled. Indeed, Dave frequently reminds the crowd tonight that Foos have been at it for over three decades now, and, despite having just dropped a new album, are digging into all corners of a back catalogue that most artists could only dream of – from the “old school” Stacked Actors to an incredible, euphoric My Hero to the lung-busting Best Of You.

• Read our full Foo Fighters review now

“I could have made you open a fucking circle-pit but instead I’m taking it easy on you!” bellows Halsey from the main stage like a formidable army commander, full of attitude and swagger, making the evergrowing crowd crouch down on the ground. “If you’re tired already what the fuck are you gonna do later? The Spain game’s not on yet!”

Despite opening the main stage, this is no warm-up performance, and Halsey struts around like she’s headlining the thing with a fully-realised vision of four acts and elaborate white arch stage design. In fact it is a curious move that the alt.pop superstar isn’t topping the bill, having done so at Rock For People last month, armed with an incendiary setlist of empowering anthems of self-love and acceptance, from I’m not a woman, I’m a god to Castle to Lonely Is The Muse that sees Halsey wandering the stage with blood pouring from her nose. “I don’t know if I’ve ever worn sunglasses on the stage before, I kind of feel like an asshole,” she jokes, battling the bright sun and staring out at the thousands amassed before her, oozing charisma and charm, firing out the party-starting Closer and biting Gasoline. She says she’ll be in the crowd later for Kings Of Leon, but it feels like a large contingent would rather see Halsey onstage again.

By comparison, Pixies’ brand of alt.rock feels rather understated, but still ideal for a sun-soaked afternoon. As is traditional, there’s very little by way of stage banter from the Boston legends, and beloved frontman Black Francis remains the coolest man at the entire festival. The crowd might not be as feral as earlier, but their voices grow louder for the Spanish-leaning Isla de Encanta and Vamos, and mega-hits like Debaser and Here Comes Your Man confirm why Pixies are still so revered and on main stages across the world. There is a slight feeling that many of the people gathered here are simply queueing for a good spot for later, but when the strains of Where Is My Mind? ring out across Iberdrola Music, few can argue with just how bloody good it is.

When we meet Karen Dió earlier in the day, the Brazilian punk tells us of plans to cover a Spanish song that means something to her, but will give the audience the chance to choose which one. The answer, overwhelmingly, is a ramshackle version of Aserejé by Las Ketchup (also known as The Ketchup Song, which you definitely remember from school discos), that finally gets the pits moving after days of waiting. Following this up with her cover of Chappell Roan’s Casual and it's a safe bet that any casuals have definitely been won over now. With this being the last show of tour, Karen is giving it everything she has with no need to conserve energy or vocal cords, blasting through first-ever song Do It, a raucous 3am and the brilliantly unashamed Buy My Merch. Climaxing on the infectious Sick Ride, limbs and drinks start flying down front, and the smile plastered across Karen’s face says it all.

When we saw A Perfect Circle two weeks ago in the much more metal surroundings of Copenhell, it was in broad daylight, so despite the much more bougie environment today, as the sun has set in Madrid this feels so much more alive and powerful, with the alt.metal supergroup able to create their own foreboding atmosphere. Going up against Kings Of Leon on the main stage is a thankless task, but for those who crave something more from their music, Maynard and co. are fully locked in and delivering something that feels like it’s from another plane entirely. Bathed in ever-changing lights of pinks, turquoises, and greens, TalkTalk hits like a sledgehammer and Counting Bodies Like Sheep… is positively hypnotic. Very much existing on its own island this weekend, this is very special performance from a very special band.

As Halsey points out onstage some six hours earlier, there sure are a lot of clikkies in the crowd today. Indeed, the front rows of the vast Region Of Madrid Stage have been bustling all afternoon with face-painted fans in custom-made costumes, battling the Spanish sun to ensure prime position for their heroes. And with a 2-1 win over Belgium still settling in, the tens of thousands here are already in party mode, and twenty one pilots have just the ingredients to send things stratospheric.

“Thank you for letting a couple of American guys play your festival,” gushes Tyler Joseph, seemingly unaware he’s putting on the most impressive set of the entire weekend, having just surfed his way around the crowd on a platform, swinging his light-up mic overhead like a beacon built by Adam Lazzara.

• Read our full twenty one pilots review now

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• Maynard James Keenan: “If you’re not putting yourself in the space where the breakthrough can happen, you’re not going to have one”