How does a nomadic Norwegian busker get from playing tropical punk in Bergen to stabling her own horse in the Liberties? A slight car crash, it seems.
Known as the Musical Slave, this street musician was making her way around Ireland a few years ago, when she accidentally steered her van into the wall of a shed in the heart of Dublin city. Out walked some of the young men who tend for their horses there, and when, instead of a heated argument, the Musical Slave ended up sharing a buggy ride with one of them, the groundwork for perhaps one of the strangest and most delightful stories you’ll read all year was laid.
From Norse to horse
Also known as Norwigi, the Nordic songwriter was so enamoured with the Liberties and its community of urban horsemen that wound up making a connection with the boys she met, buying her own horse and keeping it in their yard. And even if, at times, the teenage boys were reluctant to recognise their new friendship with the musician, they have become friends.
The Musical Slave rides her horse down Meath St in Dublin 8 [The Musical Slave]
Late last year, the Musical Slave uploaded a song and short film about her friendship with the Liberties lads – Branner, Sean, Sano, Dessie and Turbo. First shared by Irish music blogger Nialler9, the video shows an oddly harmonious culture clash, with the Musical Slave performing her song No Plan, with writing help from the boys on two of the verses.
“They are some of the smartest and funniest teenagers I’ve met in my whole life,” she writes on her website. “And they have this way of always being in the flow, and making crazy things happen in the middle of everyday life.”
Take a look at the video in full below:
