Who are Two Shell?

The elusive duo have been doing the rounds on the obscure corners of the internet since at least 2019, however, they have recently burst out into the mainstream, coinciding with the release of their debut album.

Despite what is stated in their Mixmag interview, the two are definitely not finished with the trickery and misdirection. During the week of the launch, we got exclusive access to their pop-up shop in Deptford, even engaging in the act and donning the masks ourselves, helping customers with their custom-printed t-shirts while they asked us questions as if we were Two Shell.

Before the launch party started, we were on-site to help with preparations and talk with the duo about the evening. “I’m excited, I’m waiting on the first tracks to start so it feels real, bring the energy, you know?” said [REDACTED]. As the audience started to arrive, the duo stepped out onto the crosshair stage designed by Tom Schneider as the bass began to swell. The small arches next to South Bermondsey railway station glowed in the blue light, and as another pair took to the stage. Fans will know at this point that none of these pairs are the real Two Shell, is there even such a thing?

The reality is, Two Shell is more of an art collective than a simple dance music act. There are many moving parts and pieces that make the magic happen. That’s how they are able to simultaneously be on and off stage at the same time, who knows, next show you might be dancing next to Two Shell, hell, you probably are; because in a way we have all become a part of it, we are all Two Shell.

Onto the afterparty, which, in classic Two Shell fashion, was surrounded by misdirection, still unclear whether it was intentional or unintentional. Before the show, a post went live on their Instagram account, advertising an after-party in Shadwell. During the event, an anonymous Airdrop displayed a number of different locations in Holborn and Camden, which was then debunked by an announcement on the microphone and the army of doubles showing a new address next to Farringdon. The crowd scrambled to lobby for taxis and Ubers, while at the location, we spoke with Jody, the self-proclaimed “King Of Squats”. Jody, and photographer/videographer Joe Magowan have been working together to document squat parties all around the globe, their most recent venture before this being in the Paris catacombs. The videos Joe captured should be ending up in a film at some point over the next few years.

At this point, it was time to let loose, with sets from Swarmm, Ghostphone, Ship Sket, Madame3Swords and Shast, alongside the masked duo. The building quickly became packed out, and refreshingly, not a phone was in sight, and as the walls became covered in graffiti and tags, we dipped out, excited to see what Two Shell would bring in Manchester, NYC and Tokyo.

Visuals and words by: @madame3swords