TRAINSPOTTING LIVE, THE TUNNEL AT VENUE 150, EDINBURGH

SPENDING my Friday night crammed into a dirty, damp and dingy basement with sweaty, drugged-up revellers wouldn’t ordinarily be my idea of a good time.

But when the Fringe takes over Edinburgh’s cobbled streets, I’m willing to let my standards slip in the name of culture. Bringing together all walks of life for a taste of the darker side of the capital’s nightlife, Trainspotting Live promises to “recapture the passion and the controversy of Irvine Welsh’s famous novel, then globally successful film, and repackage it into an immersive production”.

Queuing for the start of the show with my date for the evening – glow sticks attached in place of wristbands – we wondered what we were letting ourselves in for.

We had heard rumours of audience participation, drug use, projectile vomit, full-frontal nudity and a graphic interpretation of that infamous toilet scene. But we didn’t know the half of what was to come.

Staged in a disused tunnel, with seats running the length of each side, the performance feels more like stumbling upon an illegal rave than a sold-out play.

And the immersive, obscene and provocative action starts before you find your seat, with Renton, Sick Boy, Begbie and co interacting with the audience, stealing drinks and taking hits in the dark around you.

Feeling the bass of 90s techno reverberate through your chest and