Mad Cool Festival family, how are we feeling?! Last night (July 12), festival-goers enjoyed a third night of musical magic, basking in the gorgeous weather while being treated to fantastic performances from Black Pumas, Alvvays and local emerging talent like Julia Sabaté.
With only one day of Mad Cool 2024 left to go, it was clear that attendees wanted to savour every last moment. Team NME felt the same: we spent the evening running between stages, following anything that caught our eyes and ears…
Words: Liberty Dunworth, Hollie Geraghty, Laura Molloy, Sophie Williams
Julia Sabaté (7pm, Mahou 0.0 Tostada)
As the Mad Cool site settled into its third day of the 2024 edition, Spanish-Dutch artist Julia Sabaté stunned on the Mahou 0.0 Tostada stage, bringing feel-good energy and club vibes. She expressed her joy at making her debut at the festival – her euphoria was infectious.
Between her locking eyes with those in the front row and effortlessly gliding around the stage as she belted out her emotive pop and electronica, following this set, it’s safe to say that her first performance at the site will not be her last. (LD)
Alvvays (7pm, Orange)
Synonymous with the muted, crisp climate of their native Canada, perhaps you could wonder how Alvvays’ brand of moody dream-pop would translate when played under the sizzling Madrid sun.
Yet, at Mad Cool, the solar power seems to translate into a greater, kinetic energy. Singer Molly Rankin offers an animated take on their biggest hits, including ‘Archie, Marry Me’ and ‘Adult Diversion’, occasionally breaking into screams and yelps. It’s an energy maintained until the final bars of closer ‘Easy On Your Own’, departing on a devastatingly bittersweet note. (LM)
Jayda G (9:10pm, The Loop)
Those looking for a party on day three didn’t have to search for long when Jayda G came to Mad Cool. The Canadian producer and DJ’s evening set spun fans into a trance as soon as she hit the decks (with a little help from her psychedelic visuals). Building up the energy with funky disco, summer house and underground dance tracks, timing was everything in this escapist haven of a rave.
Knowing exactly when to dial things up and pull pack for a moment – or unleash an irresistible drop – made for a dance floor the crowd just couldn’t step away from. (HG)
Black Pumas (9:35pm, Mad Cool)
Black Pumas’ Eric Burton could have easily blended in with Mad Cool’s colourful and friendly crowd. Bedecked in yellow dungarees and a funky paisley shirt, the vocalist and his band’s psychedelic soul jams were equally as striking, stretching out to fill the vast field with sweet falsettos and slinky grooves.
‘Ice Cream (Pay Phone)’ unravelled into a lengthy sonic excursion, while Burton indulged in some tightly executed heel-spins and call-and-response moments during a soaring ‘Black Moon Rising’. As the percussive shimmy of ‘Colors’ hit its peak, it was clear that Black Pumas had a singular goal: to deliver good vibes, all the time. (SW)
Tom Morello (9:50pm, Orange)
“I’ve been waiting a long time to be here at this exact moment,” Tom Morello announced as he took to the stage, joined by his son Roman to perform their new collab ‘Soldier In The Army Of Love’. Based on the sea of people looking back at him, it was clear that he wasn’t alone in that thought.
What followed turned out to be one of the most mammoth sets of the festival so far, packed to the brim with hits from Audioslave and Rage Against The Machine, as well as covers of Bruce Springsteen, John Lennon and MC5. If that wasn’t enough, throw some women-only mosh pits and a surprise appearance from Måneskin’s Thomas Raggi into the mix… (LD)
Sum 41 (11pm, Region of Madrid)
An onslaught of pyrotechnics and crowd repartee only accentuated the excitement surrounding Sum 41’s Mad Cool debut. Playing to the biggest crowd of the weekend so far, the Canadian rockers blitzed through their hefty back catalogue, reframing their older hits (‘Makes No Difference’, ‘Fat Lip’) in front of a comic-book style backdrop that featured each and every album artwork from their career.
The impact of tracks from the band’s recent ‘Heaven:x:Hell’ LP is magnified by how this performance forms part of their last-ever run of shows. Frontman Deryck Whibley encouraged fans to boo at this fact, laughing at their lively response – while endearingly referring to the masses as “sweet ladies and gentleman” over and over again. With songs about misfits and outcasts, it was an uplifting hour of real pop-punk joy. (SW)
Jessie Ware (11:35pm, Orange)
“This is my first time playing in Madrid,” Jessie Ware told her Mad Cool audience underneath swathes of pink neon light, “and I am so proud to be here.” Throughout, she seemed genuinely thrilled, emitting a palpable, infectious joy – resulting in perhaps one of the weekend’s liveliest crowds.
Ware sailed through a disco-imbued setlist of fan favourites such as ‘Save A Kiss’, ‘What’s Your Pleasure?’ and new track ‘Life You Up’. Nearing the end, she led fans in a choreographed dance for ‘Beautiful People’ before running off stage and swiftly returning for an encore of Cher’s ‘Believe’. “You are gonna beat us at the Euros,” she chuckled, before departing with the euphoria ‘Free Yourself’. “But that’s okay, because you’re such great fans.” (LM)
NME is the official media partner of Mad Cool Festival 2024
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