Madrid knees-up Mad Cool continued to celebrate its 10th edition, packing the Iberdrola Music arena with a frankly indecent number of stars, rising talent and world-class performances. Here’s the skinny on day two of the Spanish sizzler via NME’s favourite photos.
CMAT brought the hoedown
Despite the heat, the Irish country queen threw some serious shapes on the Orange stage, leading the audience in a line dance and dishing out fan favourites such as ‘When a Good Man Cries’ and the always sensational ‘Take a Sexy Picture of Me’. One of her band members was sporting long blonde locks and a skirt, leading CMAT to call him ‘Skirt Cobain’, which we enjoyed greatly.
CMAT at Mad Cool 2026. CREDIT: Andres Iglesias
CMAT at Mad Cool 2026. CREDIT: Andres Iglesias
Lorde kept hydrated
We all know that alt-pop icon Lorde loves that multicoloured water bottle she takes everywhere and she ensured she kept hydrated as she refilled it from an onstage water fountain. She needed the H20: this was a seismic set with complex dance routines and a platform that hoisted her high in the air. Tracks from recent album ‘Virgin’ went down like old favourites but, of course, it was the timeless ‘Green Light’ that really went off.
Lorde at Mad Cool 2026. Credit: Andres Iglesias
Lorde at Mad Cool 2026. Credit: Andres Iglesias
Teddy Swims multi-tasked
Big-voice, big-hearted Georgia don brought his rich, layered soul to the Orange stage, belting out the likes of the epic ‘Funeral’ and stadium-sized ‘Lose Control’. He even threw in a gargantuan cover of Van Halen’s ‘Jump’ for good measure. We were probably most impressed, though, when a fan in the front row passed him a record to sign and he did so while still holding the microphone and singing, not breaking the show for a second. Now that’s talent.
Teddy Swims at Mad Cool 2026. Credit: Andres Iglesias
Teddy Swims at Mad Cool 2026. Credit: Andres Iglesias
Zimmer90 raised the roof
NME C25 stars Zimmer90 brought their hazy, dance-infused indie-pop to the Mahou Reserva stage in the early evening, proving a perfect tonic to the blazing heatwave. It makes sense that one half of the band, Finn Gronemeyer, studied architecture before stardom beckoned: they really brought the house down.
Zimmer90 at Mad Cool 2026. CREDIT: Luis Carbxnell
Zara Larsson partied with the fans
On the poptastic Orange stage, performing between sets by Charlie Puth and Teddy Swims, Zara Larsson rolled out ‘Midnight Sun’, ‘Hot & Sexy’ and the immortal ‘Lush Life’, proving that she’s still killing it in the pop game. At one point, during a dance break amid the latter track, she brought a fan onstage to join in the fun.
Zara Larsson at Mad Cool 2026. CREDIT: Luis Carbxnell
Zara Larsson at Mad Cool 2026. CREDIT: Luis Carbxnell
Jennie turned up the heat
K-pop icon Jennie warmed the main stage up for Florence + the Machine as the darkness descended, the stage-side screens filled with flames as she and her backing dancers busted out ambitious dance moves. Her ace take on Tame Impala’s ‘Dracula’ was a highlight of a show that also included the as-yet unreleased tracks ‘Lock It Down’ and ‘Less Than a Lover’.
Jennie at Mad Cool 2026. CREDIT: Javie
Jennie at Mad Cool 2026. CREDIT: Javie
Boys Noize brought the rave
German-Iraqi house and techno don Boys Noize absolutely annihilated the Loop Iberdrola tent, going up against Teddy Swims and proving just as epic, even without the industrial edge of his Nine Inch Nails side project Nine Inch Noize. Fans certainly followed the advice espoused in ‘Crazy For It’: “If you want it, you’ve gotta go crazy for it.”
Boys Noize at Mad Cool 2026. CREDIT: Mad Cool
Florence + the Machine closed the main stage in style
There was something of a horror movie theme on the main stage, given that Florence followed Jennie’s ‘Dracula’-featuring set with a gothic set that drew on the spooky latest album ‘Everbody Scream’, opening with that album’s title track. Don’t worry, though – she also rolled out the old-school classics, including ‘Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)’ and her cover of Candi Staton’s ‘You Got The Love’, which is still a quintessential festival anthem after all these years.
Florence + the Machine at Mad Cool 2026. CREDIT: Javie
Florence + the Machine at Mad Cool 2026. CREDIT: Javie
NME is the official media partner of Mad Cool.
The post Mad Cool Festival 2026 Day Two in photos: Florence + the Machine, CMAT, Lorde and more appeared first on NME.
