Shells

Born from my passion for exploring the origins of music in my one man show Steve Pretty on The Origin of the Pieces, my podcast and other work, since about 2019 I have been increasingly obsessed by making music with conch and other shells. Hey, a midlife crisis can take many and varied forms, don’t judge…

I particularly like exploring the link between ancient and modern music technology by employing cutting-edge electronic manipulations to augment my shell performances.

This work has seen me perform on shells at the Hammersmith Apollo, King’s Place, Cafe Oto, Natural History Museum and many more places. I am currently working on an album of music featuring shells, but meanwhile, here are some little tasters of what I do, some of which involve my fellow conch obsessive Letty Stott.

My set with Letty Stott at Cafe Oto, London. Skip to 37.35 for the music

And here’s a fun little acknowledgement of my growing obsession at the Alternative Comedy Memorial Society in March 2023