Gypsy Punk

To the west of the city Nantes there are two abandoned houses side by side, which I was told at the party, used to belong to a gangster. Whatever happened to him I don't know - must have been a quick departure though, that's for sure. Anyway, since its abandonment it has given home to a small community of squatters. Outside, on a muddy track there are two lines of, what I guess you could call, gypsy style caravans, which is where we stayed with one of Ben's friends Nolwenn who kindly put us up for the weekend.

This situation is set to change come 14/01/10. The French government has imposed new laws that say that staying in the caravans is now illegal, and they now want to carry out, what in French are called 'les expulsions'. I don't think that needs much explaining. Basically they don't like what Fatboy Slim would call'long-haired freaky people' living on the land.

In light of this situation then they threw one last weekend-long party in the gangster's old mansion. It was well organised and there were bars well located around the big room. In the middle of the room was an disused, drained swimming pool (how flash...) and it was in here that the stage was set. Local bands played music all night in the pool, as you can see here. It was a health and safety officers worse nightmare. Hundreds of people crammed into the room, all smoking there little heads off, and it was packed all the way from the edges of the pool to the walls. Any movement in the crowd could have spelled a dip in the empty pool.

More to come....