JACKS Abroad: Mad Cool Festival, Madrid – Day Two 12/07/2019

Day two of Mad Cool Festival welcomed The National, Palace, Empire of the Sun and more to Madrid and JACKS was on site again to catch the action.

Day two of Mad Cool Festival was stacked with some of the best talent in the world. The festival got underway with one of the best indie bands from the UK, with Palace playing on the Madrid Te Abraza Stage.

The London quartet have just released their second album Life After, and celebrated with a resonating performance in Madrid.

In sweltering 40+ degree heat, Palace brought a cool vibe to the Spanish capital with sultry melodies.

The band are vastly filling a Maccabees shaped hole with their sleek sound and passionate words.

On a day where even the locals struggled with the heat, it was a glorious performance to enjoy under the clear blue skies.

Reading-based indie band Valeras drew in a big crowd to the Consequence of Sound stage. Their dominating performance of rock was electric as they made the ground shake with their rumbling bass and soaring riffs.

With songs like the grungey ‘Louder’ sending shockwaves through the marquee and ‘Intentions’ infectious melody then causing people to sway, it was an exceptional show from the young band.

After the emphatic performance from Valeras, up next on the Consequence of Sound Stage were Welsh rockers Himalayas.

The last time JACKS caught Himalayas live was when they supported Liverpool band, Spinn at The Magnet two years ago. Two years is a long time and they were a good live band back then but experience has favoured them well and their onstage persona has grown so much.

They tore through their set with an aggression that seeped through the packed tent and created a tense atmosphere. It was probably the busiest that the tent, which holds both the Consequence of Sound Stage and Mondo Sonoro Stage, had been up to this point. It was no wonder why.

Co-headlining Saturday night were Cincinnati’s finest, The National. Their eighth album I Am Easy To Find, was released back in June, receiving high praises. The record saw the band collaborate with several women, who played a huge part in cementing I Am Easy To Find as one of The National’s best releases.

For their tour, some of the women have joined the ‘Terrible Love’ band at each show. This time Gail Ann Dorsey and Pauline de Lassus Saint-Geniès were on hand to lend their voices again while Irish songstress, Lisa Hannigan made her first live appearance with the band since the album was released.

The National are renown for their exciting live shows, where they add layers to songs and take them to another level. While frontman Matt Berninger’s on-stage erratic and quirky persona adds to the fun.

Mad Cool were treated to a special night as the band demonstrated all of the above, with Berninger embarking on adventures deep into the crowd and playing with stage lights.

The new songs dominated the set and emitted a serene atmosphere, while the classics like ‘Bloodbuzz Ohio’, ‘Mr. November’ and ‘Terrible Love’ being an emphatic reminder as to why they are considered to be one of the best alternative rock bands in the world.

After a stunning headline set from The National, over on the Consequence of Sound Stage were Manchester natives The Slow Readers Club. We previously caught up with Aaron Starkie and co last October where we touched on their rigorous touring and it feels like they have barely stopped since that chat.

Even after being on the road for the majority of 2019, there were no signs of fatigue as they sent the crowd into a frenzy, with regular chants of “Readers!” echoing through the marquee in between songs.

Their fusion of indie rock and electro-pop was infectious as their dedicated travelling fans of old and what appeared to be newly acquired fans as a result of their show, danced and thrashed for pretty much the entire set.

It was their first show ever in Spain and after endearing the Madrid crowd, it certainly won’t be their last.

The second day was brought to an end by Empire of the Sun on the Madrid Te Abraza Stage. 24 hours previously, it was the scene of ecstasy as The Chemical Brothers put on a phenomenal show. Fast-forward a day later and the same couldn’t be said for Empire of the Sun.

The Australian act may have big songs in their repertoire but failed to deliver in a lacklustre set. They performed ‘Walking on a Dream’ but the set made me long for bed and actually dreaming as their set waded on into the early hours of Saturday morning.

Missed the action from days one and three? Click here for our breakdown of the opening day and here for the final day.

Check out the full gallery from day two, below.