Watch as Edinburgh musician recreates famous Trainspotting running scene for post-lockdown times

A musician from Edinburgh has recreated the iconic opening scene from Trainspotting frame for frame with some modern day post-lockdown additions.

Chris Anderson who creates YouTube videos under the name The Millennial Musician took to Princes Street last week to recreate the famous scene where Renton sprints down towards Calton Road.

“As an Edinburgh resident, I’ve always wanted to recreate the infamous running scene, and I thought that especially with all the Covid stuff doing it with the essentials like a mask and sanitiser would me impactful and cool to see,” Chris said, “I’m trying to make weekly YouTube videos and thought about recreating the scene, but putting a story behind it that I am just running for a post-lockdown haircut.”

Chris filmed the clip with the help of bandmate Matt Dunn, who attached their £800 camera equipment to a Just Eat Cycle and ran along the busy shopping street as Chris chased it down.

In the clip, face masks and sanitiser can be seen falling from his pocket just as Renton’s pockets empty on Princes Street from the 1996 film. Some shops on the street such as Boots still remain in the same place, but the differences between the shops over the last 24 years are stark.

He added: “It took about three hours of running up and down Princes Street, everyone thought I was crazy and I think some might have thought I had stolen something.

“After one person seeing me running up and down the street four or five times they asked what we were doing and I just said that we were filming Trainspotting 3.”

The clip takes a turn as viewers expect Chris to roll across the bonnet of a car on Calton Road when he reveals he is just running for a haircut – at Substance Barbershop on the other side of town where Deneka Greensmith, a member of staff, cut his hair to close the scene.

The video also takes the time to show the scene comparisons.

Chris, who plays in wedding band The Sleekit Beasties alongside Matt, said: “As a musician it has been an incredibly difficult year, we’ve gone from hundreds of gigs a year to zero and there’s no certainty of when we’ll be back again.

“We’re trying to make the best of it but 2021 is booked up and 2022 is looking busy already, part of the reason I’m making videos now is because I’m not able to gig at the moment. It is really tough for the industry right now and I know a lot of others are in the same boat.”