MUSIC PREMIERES
We’re back, back, back! Day Two of Mad Cool 2024 saw triumphant sets (and frozen margaritas) aplenty, as a wealth of brilliant musicians kept the good vibes flowing at Madrid’s premier music festival.
Basking in the glow of a golden hour, Michael Kiwanuka delivered a stunning main stage set, followed by riotous moments from Kneecap and Nia Archives, among others. Check out Team NME‘s highlights below.
Words: Liberty Dunworth, Hollie Geraghty, Laura Molloy, Sophie Williams
There’s an air of mystery surrounding Merina Gris. The trio, hailing from the Basque Country of Spain, have managed to conceal their surnames and faces since their formation in 2020, in hopes that, by doing so, audiences will be able to approach their music without preconceived prejudice.
At Mad Cool, they made no exception, taking to the Mahou Cinco Estrellas stage in their bejeweled masks to deliver an intoxicating set, crafting moments of intensity that unexpectedly and suddenly collapsed into smooth, soft melodies. And, judging by the explosive reception from the Madrid audience, their anonymity hasn’t hindered any dedication from fans – perhaps encouraging greater dedication instead. (LM)
Summer nights in Madrid were made for moments like Michael Kiwanuka’s sultry evening warm-up. Fresh from releasing new single ‘Floating Parade’ – his first new music in nearly three years, which the crowd were treated to a dreamy live rendition of – the Mercury Prize-winner was on top form as he breezed through one hour on the main stage.
The north London singer commanded a sense of cool, soulful calm before he whipped up a funky frenzy with the help of skittering maracas and his velvety backing singers. Real highlights arrived in the stirring ‘Rule The World’ and bluesy ‘Rolling’, which featured a shredding guitar solo that sliced through the festival site just as the evening sun was descending low in the sky. (HG)
“It’s been 20 years, and we’re always still surprised to see that we have fans outside of the UK,’ Keane frontman Tom Chaplin quipped, looking out at an audience that stretched into the horizon. It may have been two decades since the band first broke onto the scene with ‘Hopes And Fears’, but last night, the energy and conviction with which they delivered their was just as powerful as when they first started.
Classic tracks like ‘Everybody’s Changing’, ‘Somewhere Only We Know’ and ‘Bedshaped’ came in thick and fast, and as each word was sung back to them during Madrid’s golden hour. This moment meant so much to band members and fans alike. (LD)
West Belfast’s rowdiest sons caused near-instant pandemonium on the Mad Cool site – even before they hit the stage. An hour before they took to the Mahou Cinco Estrellas tent – which has a strict capacity of 800 festival-goers – hundreds of fans were already waiting to be let inside, bedecked in tri-colour balaclavas and vintage Ireland jerseys.
Their patience was rewarded. Kneecap are pushing the Irish language into a space that it has never previously occupied, on a scale that even they could surely never have imagined. ‘Sick In The Head’ was an electrifying frenzy of pure energy, while anthemic calling card ‘H.O.O.D’ inspired moshpits galore, though not without Mo Chara running through some etiquette pointers first.
Though the audience for Nia Archives’ Mad Cool performance was sparse when she first stepped up to the decks, it only took moments of her infectious energy to conjure punters from across the field, with many sprinting towards the stage before immediately bursting into dance as the sun set. Spreading the gospel of jungle, Nia played homage to the genre’s history with videos of old ravers flashing on the screens beside her.
MUSIC PREMIERES
Four years on from the ‘Actual Life’ series lifting him into the mainstream spotlight, Fred Again.. continues to feel unavoidable. The London producer and DJ born Fred Gibson has moved at a relentless pace, bouncing between sold out stadium dates in New York and surprise appearances at Sheffield’s 1,000 capacity Forge, while also making history as the first electronic artist to top the bill at Reading and Leeds in 2024.
Where the ‘Actual Life’ releases and his fourth album, 2024’s ‘Ten Days’, leaned into warmth and joy pulled from ordinary moments, Gibson has also sharpened his instinct for high impact club weapons rooted in garage, dubstep and jungle. That side of his output lives on ‘USB’, an “infinite album” first imagined in 2022 as a home for tracks that exist outside any fixed universe, including defining moments like ‘Rumble’ and ‘Jungle’.
‘USB002’, the second vinyl only chapter of the ‘USB’ project, brings together 16 recent tracks, many of which surfaced gradually on streaming services over a ten week stretch. The music was shaped live, in step with ten unannounced DJ appearances across the world from Dublin to Mexico City. Even with a Glastonbury style registration system in place, The Times reported that 100,000 people tried to secure tickets for the opening night in Glasgow.
Appropriately, ‘USB002’ feels alive and constantly in motion, helped along by contributions from close collaborators such as Floating Points and Sammy Virji. The rigid, techno driven pressure of ‘Ambery’ echoes elements of Floating Points’ 2019 album ‘Crush’, while Gibson’s take on ‘The Floor’ builds like the slow climb of a rollercoaster before dropping back to earth without warning.
The guest list stretches beyond the usual dance circles, with two Australian guitar bands popping up in unexpected ways. ‘You’re A Star’ reworks Amyl and The Sniffers’ ‘Big Dreams’ into a breakbeat driven rush, while ‘Hardstyle 2’ pulls the experimental post punk edge of Shady Nasty into an Underworld adjacent space alongside Kettama. Gibson’s real trick is his ability to connect with anyone. These tracks are not reinterpretations but full takeovers.
The visual world wrapped around the ‘USB002’ rollout reinforces the instinct behind the music. Phones were prohibited at shows staged in vast warehouse spaces under sweeping light rigs, while Gibson’s team shared striking black and white footage and created artwork for each single on site. Bottling that sense of urgency, the project is rooted in the thrill of the present moment, something Gibson seems able to summon simply by turning up.
If the ‘Actual Life’ series and ‘Ten Days’ captured passing snapshots of experience, ‘USB’ is defined by constant movement, a space where boundaries are removed entirely. Sitting somewhere between an album and a playlist, ‘USB002’ underlines why Fred Again.. feels so dominant right now, and suggests that his current run may only be the beginning of something much bigger.
