Festival Review: Mad Cool Festival // Madrid, July 2025
Mad Cool Festival returned to Madrid from July 10th to 13th, bringing together one of its most diverse but messy editions yet. Over four packed days at the Iberdrola Music venue in Villaverde, festival goers danced under the Spanish sun to a mix of rock punk legends, indie pop darlings, electronic duos and Gen Z icons.
If you’ve scrolled through TikTok or Instagram this past week, you’ve probably seen clips from the explosive Olivia Rodrigo set, the blackout during Gracie Abrams’ show, or Iggy Pop iconically refusing to leave the stage. Mad Cool 2025 was a ride, filled with unforgettable moments, low lows, and high highs that made it even more memorable.
Thursday kicked off with blue skies and a surprisingly chill crowd making their way to the venue. Early acts like Blondshell, Royal Otis and Geordie Greep offered great sets with a lot of energy, setting the tone for a genre fluid day.
But just as things started to pick up during Gracie Abrams, disaster hit. A full power outage left her set and the entire festival stripped bare. After a few minutes of waiting and a few a capella songs that we could barely listen to, she was able to finish her set with “Close To You”. It left fans angry and underwhelmed.
After a tense break and a half working sound system, Iggy Pop stormed the stage like a man possessed. His set was chaotic, unhinged, and perfect, a reminder of why punk still matters. Technical glitches didn’t faze him and the crowd loved every moment of it.
The night ended with Muse, stepping in last-minute to replace Kings of Leon, with a full pyrotechnic setup, and Weezer with a nostalgic set filled with bangers.
Friday felt like a completely different beast. Everything ran smoother and the crowds swelled.
Natalia Lacunza opened with a brilliant set that hit especially hard for local fans, followed by Benson Boone, who had a solid set, and one of the biggest crowds of the festival.
Then came Alanis Morissette, the legend, which younger attendees didn’t seem too familiar with, until she started “You Oughta Know” or “Ironic” and everyone screamed like they had grown up on Jagged Little Pill. Her performance felt like a masterclass in timeless songwriting and rock music.
Noah Kahan delivered what might be the most emotionally resonant set of the day. He brought the Vermont woods to Madrid with tracks like “Stick Season” and “Homesick”. It was special.
But the night belonged to Nine Inch Nails. Industrial, abrasive, and relentless, Trent Reznor's was amazing. “Closer” was haunting, and the visuals were pitch black dystopia. It was dark, loud, and cathartic, everything a rock headline set should be.
Saturday was the festival’s most anticipated day, and for good reason. The lineup was filled and, even though the heat was intense, the energy never dipped.
Girl in Red brought pure queer joy to the early evening, dancing across the stage during “We Fell in Love in October” and moshpiting with the crowd during “I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend”.
St. Vincent followed in the same stage with a theatrical and captivating set. Her guitar work on “Los Ageless” was mesmerizing. But the most special moment came when she came into the crowd during “New York”, the kind of performance where people just stopped and stared in awe.
Then came Olivia Rodrigo, and it was chaos, in the best way possible. Following her impressive Glastonbury headline set, fans had been lining up since the morning, and by the time she opened with “obsessed” the pit was going all in. Her stage presence was impressive, very reminiscent of early Taylor Swift, and Alanis Morissette. “good 4 u” turned into a full on rock show, and “vampire” and “drivers license” had people sobbing and screaming every single lyric.
Closing the night, Justice delivered one of the slickest sets of the weekend, and my personal favourite. Their light show was otherworldly, and the bass from “D.A.N.C.E.” and “Neverender” reverberated in your chest. If Olivia was the heart of the night, Justice was the soul.
While it wasn’t perfect, including the technical issues on Day 1 and the unbearable heat, these moments were far outweighed by the lineup and the crowd’s energy.
Mad Cool was a great experience. With some improvements this year, more shaded areas, shorter bathroom lines, and more water stations. The layout at Iberdrola still suffers from serious stage overlap, especially between the smaller side stages, but overall it flowed better than previous editions.
The festival continues to walk the line between rock legacy and pop future, and this year it finally felt like it embraced both sides equally. We can’t wait to see what they offer for their 10th year anniversary next year.
Words by Marcos Sanoja
