As pandemic restrictions in the UK began to lift last year, so too did the curbs on the nightlife and hospitality industries – a phase in our history documented by photographer Dougie Wallace.

Known for his uncompromising high-contrast images of city life, Wallace took his infamous flashgun photography to the streets of Soho last summer to capture the area as it got back into the swing of things.

Now on display at the Motel Collection Gallery in London, the series captures the spectrum of people who flock to the streets of Soho. We see it all – glitzy queens keeping everyone in check; two people with mohawks interlocking mid-snog; young people wielding trays of chips or balloons filled with laughing gas; the high-heeled and the leather-clad.

We also catch glimpses of masked-up theatre staff welcoming people back through their doors, all while these alternative theatrics play out in the street night by night.

There’s an argument that Soho Unlocked doesn’t have the same surprise factor as Wallace’s Harrodsburg work, which cut through the glossy, impenetrable exterior of the Knightsbridge area and the people found there with lashings of humour and unsightly angles.

Soho, on the other hand, is already known to be chaotic and unfiltered. Nonetheless, Wallace has produced a vibrant documentation of the area’s return to full force during a unique moment in time.

Soho Unlocked is on display at Motel Collection Gallery until October 16; motelstudios.co.uk; dougiewallace.com