Mad Cool review: Europe’s hottest festival is still settling into its new home

From Lizzo to The Prodigy, Spanish festival has something for everyone

Robbie Williams plays Thursday of Mad Cool festival (Javier Bragado)

Mad Cool is so hot right now. No, really. Madrid is in the middle of a heatwave and everyone at the Spanish festival is sweltering in “the Devil’s f***ing frying pan”, as rapper Machine Gun Kelly calls it. “You guys live like this?” he asks the nonetheless energetic crowd, sun beating down on his face. “What planet are you guys from?” A melting one; temperatures in Europe are only going to rise in the coming years, meaning Mad Cool, as with many festivals, must adapt to survive. Mad Cool has taken this sentiment to heart, not only decamping to a new location in the city’s breezier Villaverde District (which is closer to the city centre) but also cutting its five-day duration to just three. There are undeniably teething problems, but this new iteration has the makings of an excellent festival that will last.

Now in its sixth year, Mad Cool has something for everyone. Rock fans make up the largest contingency of attendees, and headliners Queens of the Stone Age, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, The Black Keys, and The Prodigy more than satisfy their cravings. Britpop devotees are treated not only to a Liam Gallagher-led drunken “Wonderwall” sing-along on Saturday, but his old mate Robbie Williams also covers “Don’t Look Back With Anger” on Thursday night. He can slag off Take That and talk about getting high with Oasis at Glastonbury all he likes, but by the time Williams closes out his set with a warbling rendition of “Angels” (as all the s***tiest hometown clubs do), it’s hard to trust his rock credentials.

In the pop corner, things kick off on Thursday with sets from Lizzo and Lil Nas X. The shows are virtually identical to their recently televised performances at Glastonbury, but both acts have an irresistible charisma that has to be seen IRL to be truly understood. Lizzo charms the crowd by translating her usual innuendo-filled banter into Spanish (“Hope you’re ready for a little chorizo!”), and admitting that she’s incredibly hungover. “Every day tequila, b****,” she laments. The audience cheers in recognition.

Representing queer British acts (following an unfortunate 11th hour cancellation from Rina Sawayama), Sam Smith and Years and Years put on a show – the former in a gold corset and nipple covers; the latter, towering thigh-high stiletto boots. Ava Max ushers in the Saturday night closing slot with her slickly choreographed hit “Maybe You’re The Problem”, as well as the dubiously-titled-but-we-let-it-slide “Sweet But Psycho”. She’s followed by Jamie xx. The DJ plays a crowd-delighting set of Spanish-language hits and pulse beats, closing out with the euphoric “Gosh”.

Lizzo on stage at Mad Cool (Andres Iglesias)

What lets Mad Cool down are the logistics of the festival itself. The new arena is more spacious than the festival’s previous location, with a good amount of shade and room to dance in front of each stage. Moving between stages, however, is far trickier, with crowds funnelled into squished areas as they move en masse, resulting in mad crushes. There are woefully few toilets and long queues throughout. Complaints of both dominate the festival’s Instagram. These are things Mad Cool can work on, but when so much of the festival arena is taken up by overstaffed brand experience stands, it’s hard not to feel like corporations are being put above the music and the people.

Still, these are problems I hope (and believe) Mad Cool will rectify. You can tell the performers love playing in Madrid. Once Mad Cool settles into its new home, attendees will surely match their enthusiasm.