Halloween at Battersea Power Station offers snow, Calvin Harris, Audio Bullys, and sound issues

A cold grey day in London and the towers of Battersea Power Station mark the way for our approach. The skyline has additional punctuation for this weekend, a snow ramp; and at 32 metres in height it is an awesome sight. As we draw closer, we can hear the garbled P.A. There are snowboarders hurtling their way down the ramp competing in the UK leg of the FIS World Cup getting some impressive height, and great encouragement.

The main site is the car park and the area immediately surrounding the power station. Its cobbles, gravel and tarmac have been transformed into "party time at a ski resort" with various corporate banners and flags brightening up the overcast skies. Early on, the music seems purely incidental as the skiers and boarders draw the bulk of the crowd. It seems a bit of a shame to see Cosmo Jarvis wind up his set with 'Space Pirates' to such a sparse audience. The site has plenty of bars dotted around but at £3.60 for a small bottle of lager, it's no wonder that its pretty quick to get served. There's even a Dominos Pizza there but again at £5 a slice, I'm not tempted.

I have to say that my first impressions are not good. To me, traditionally a festival is a green place where tent pegs are banged in to secure the infrastructure and if it rains, it gets muddy underfoot. Ahh, yes perhaps I can suspend some of my traditionalist ideas in favour of comfort and this isn't just a music festival, there's the snow and sporting element to be considered. As the awards are being presented on the ski ramp, we move over to the main stage to check out Kitty Daisy & Lewis. Their mother and father are on double bass and guitar and back the three siblings on stage. The sound quality in the covered stage is awful. Walking from one side of the tent to the other, and moving back and forth, there is nowhere where the sound has any depth. It sounds tinny – like sitting next to someone with headphones turned up too loud. I make my way to just outside where the sound is more palatable and rockabilly 50's sound fused with elements of country and western have tempted some into a jive or rock n' roll boogie. Despite the poor sound quality, it's easy to see the talent and enthusiasm for this family band. Sadly it's not quite enough to keep us there, although I feel I owe it to Kitty Daisy and Lewis to check them out some other time.

Another wander around and we stop by a reverse bungee ball. It fires the occupants up into the air and has drawn quite a crowd. Stalls selling ski wear, mulled wine, glow sticks and energy drinks adorn the walkways, while a public spirited bunch of lads launch complimentary condoms into passers by from the top of a high platform.

Bristol's Urban Knights DJ in the Snow Bombing tent. An eclectic mix of breaks, electro and cheesy rock has pulled in quite a crowd and they really know how to entertain. There are smiles all round as one of the DJs leaves his station to join in for a bit of a boogie.

We head back to the main stage to see Calvin Harris' DJ set. Again the sound quality is poor although he gets a rousing reaction when he plays a remix of his track 'I'm Not Alone'. There are a few hands in the air moments and the crowd grows and grows. Ironically, as we walk away, the mixed up sound becomes clearer.

The highlight of the day for me is Kissy Sell Out. I was expecting a DJ set so when a band arrives on the smaller stage, I'm a bit bemused. As he picks up a shoulder slung keytar, they rip into an electro cover of EMF's 'Unbelievable'. It is brilliant in its simplicity but the catchy tune seems to have gained another dimension. Another cover – this time The Urban Cookie Collective's 'The Key The Secret' gets the Kissy Sell Out treatment. It's pretty raw but real, and as the set progresses the crowd grows. It's testimony to the skills and energy of the band (who include Kissy's cousin on bass). The music is fun, bouncy and clever without being pretentious.

As they draw to a close, we make our way back to the main stage for tonight's headliners, Eagles of Death Metal. I hate to harp on about it but the sound was as bad as ever and the crowd is less than half what it was for Calvin Harris. We hang around to give the sound engineers a chance to put things right, but even from where they are standing, the quality is poor. Perhaps it's because of residential restrictions on noise levels, but either way the musicianship seems good but wasted.

Back on the smaller stage Audio Bullys are back. Having seen them a few years ago, I've been looking forward to this. Their choice in tunes is pretty good but the MC'ing over the top just kills it. It's okay in his quieter moments and eventually it's quite easy to shut him out and get a stomp on. Our day comes to a close with their mix of 'Shot You Down (featuring Nancy Sinatra)'. It's been an OK kind of day and we've met some really nice folks – who says "nobody talks to you in London!" Some of the Hallowe'en costumes have been quite amusing too! I've enjoyed bits of the festival but probably wouldn't go back next year unless there was a headliner that I really wanted to see.

Latest Updates