Nuits de Nacre: Accordion Festival in Tulle, Limousin

In a dazzling display of French feminism in action: the title/theme of this year's accordion festival in Tulle: "Quand la femme porte les bretelles" (When the women wear the straps). And true to form, the women rocked it.

First up: the sexy, bewitching Claire Lise, who emerged on stage surrounded by an entourage of doting (and fabulously talented) male musicians, and performed original French cabaret songs with whimsy, theater, and a lot of flair. She was hilarious, and just belted out the tunes. What an actress. The audience was captivated. Worth every penny of the admission price. Of course I had to track her down in the street and gush about the music. (Plus, she's blonde. Sisterhood, unite!) She is larger than life on stage, and so I was surprised by her tiny stature on the street. Apparently she's performed in DC at the Kennedy Center and at the Paris on the Potomac festival. I'd love to see her again in Paris.


All throughout the day, musicians performed in the streets, including a gentleman who parked himself on the pedestrian bridge (pictured) and drew a large crowd-- you could feel the bridge cables straining with the weight.

A group of middle-aged lady rockers called Les Poulettes, set up right next to Le Poulet restaurant (which served delicious grilled chicken in take-away cartons for the occasion), drew an animated crowd. And they performed right in front of a lingerie shop, where a manequin in a scant negligee was brightly lit-- of all the ironic juxtapositions.


And the most fun: a teenage band who played in the outside foyer of an apartment complex (poor residents): the adorable, curly-haired accordion player tapped his foot wildly while he just pulled apart that instrument-- he was accompanied by trumpet, clarinet, and drums. The crowd was just eating it up. (What'd I tell you about the accordion's cool factor with young folks?)