And that’s a wrap! The stage lights have been turned off, the flight cases of gear packed up, and all the artists are on their way to their next performances (or perhaps home for a well-deserved rest). Mad Cool 2026 was another scorcher, and the last day of the 2026 edition didn’t disappoint. With a stacked bill for day four (July 11), we were treated to sets from rising stars and long-established legends to close the celebrations of the Madrid bash’s 10th anniversary.
Check out the best pics of all the action from day four at Mad Cool 2026 below, and start dreaming about next year now.
Jalen Ngonda
After three full days of festivalling under the blazing hot sun, it’s to be expected that you’d need something soft and smooth to get you going for one more go at things. Thankfully, the final day of Mad Cool 2026 had Jalen Ngonda on hand to open the Region Of Madrid main stage. The London-based, Maryland-born soul singer and his band eased us back into the swing of things with songs from his latest album, ‘Doctrine Of Love’, soothing any sleepiness and soreness away.
Jalen Ngonda credit: Andres Iglesias
Jalen Ngonda credit: Javier Bragado
Matt Berninger
“It’s a good Saturday record,” Matt Berninger told us last year about his latest full-length solo effort, ‘Get Sunk’. His booking on the Saturday of Mad Cool gave him a chance to show us what he meant, building most of his setlist from tracks taken from the album. There was enough room, too, for a couple of songs by the band that Berninger broke through with, The National’s ‘Slow Show’ and ‘Terrible Love’ igniting sing-alongs under the weekend sun.
Matt Berninger credit: Andres Iglesias
Matt Berninger credit: Javier Bragado
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
“It takes a special energy to bring such a sense of euphoria to this level of gloom, but Cave has been open about his journey from grief to open-heartedness,” NME assessed in our review of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ headline set. “For him and the [band], this is all about exorcism and the celebration of the human spirit.”
Cave has long been a master of stirring up your emotions, and last night’s performance was no different – a set that you could feel as well as watch and hear.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds credit: Javier Bragado
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds credit: Javier Bragado
David Byrne
‘Who Is The Sky?’ was the question-bearing title of David Byrne’s 2025 record. If you rocked up to his Mad Cool set this year expecting to hear much from it, though, you’d be disappointed. Never fear, though; in place of Byrne’s solo work, he aired a host of Talking Heads tracks, ending on a one-two punch of ‘Once In A Lifetime’ and ‘Burning Down The House’. You’ll hear no complaints from us.
David Byrne credit: Andre Iglesias
David Byrne credit: Andre Iglesias
Pulp
‘Bangers only’ was seemingly the ethos for Pulp’s festival-closing set, which kicked off with two classics – ‘Sorted For E’s & Wizz’ and ‘Disco 2000’ – and a more recent entry to their canon in ‘Spike Island’. Things didn’t let up and the Sheffield band delivered a celebratory end to Mad Cool 2026, which peaked even higher as crescendo ‘Common People’ coincided with the final whistle on England’s World Cup win over Norway, which fans were streaming on phones in the crowd.
Pulp credit: Javier Bragado
Pulp credit: Javier Bragado
NME is the official media partner of Mad Cool.
The post Mad Cool Festival 2026 Day Four in photos: Pulp, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, David Byrne and more appeared first on NME.
