Pretty Fly @ Level 33 - 17.07.26
Last Friday, Plymouth’s goths, emos and metalheads played an away fixture at Level 33 as Pretty Fly Alt Night returned to the rooftop venue on 17th July.
Running from 6 ’til 10, the summer party once again took over one of Plymouth’s most unusual venues. Sitting above THÊ DEPØ, Level 33 feels worlds away from Pretty Fly’s usual home at The Junction. Deck chairs line the rooftop, while a vintage VW Beetle and chopper bike sit among the crowd. There’s giant Connect 4, a swing, and a neon green phone box that fills with smoke whenever somebody steps inside.
It’s not the obvious setting for an alternative night, but every time Pretty Fly heads there, the emos show up.
One thing I’ve always noticed about Pretty Fly at Level 33 is how different the crowd feels compared to the regular nights at The Junction. There’s a slightly broader, more mainstream energy to it all, which unfortunately meant my request for Enter Shikari’s Zzzonked was swiftly rejected by Jamie, who instead opted for safer territory with tracks like Shake It by Metro Station.
That shift in atmosphere also influenced how I approached photographing the night.
Normally, I like Pretty Fly galleries to lean heavily into the grungier side of things with wide-angle shots, crushed shadows and ridiculous amounts of grain. But with Level 33 bathed in golden hour sunlight, that approach didn’t feel right.
Instead, I stuck with my Canon 24-105mm F4L and aimed for something cleaner. The edits are warmer, the shadows and highlights are more natural, and the grain is dialled back considerably.
Looking back through the gallery, I think it paid off. The cleaner look complements the weather, the venue and the slightly different personality that Pretty Fly takes on whenever it heads up to the rooftop.
If you'd like a print of any photo from this gallery, 6x4 and 12x8 prints are available. Click here for pricing and order details.
Picture numbers for the form are below each gallery.
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