Usually we’re treated to a pre-Edinburgh Festival show by the brilliant comedy troupe Casual Violence during our own Brighton Fringe, but this year they took a break from May’s madness and joined us for an evening of entertainment in April.

The five-piece sketch gang are favourites on the live comedy scene – they’re topical, sharp, witty and have the kind of natural chemistry that many other performance groups could only aspire to.

Dark and sometimes on the edge of bad taste, their new sketches were naughtily delightful, thoughtful and perfectly performed.

Rather than a full evening of Casual Violence, this night presented a sort of variety show of their favoured friends and contemporaries. As can be expected, some were better than others, but all added to a well-conceived and well-paced evening.

Elf Lyons really stood out: fizzing with energy and with an instant connection to the audience, she’s already gaining accolades and respect from the comedy world, and that’s set to continue if her brief set at Komedia can be used to judge.

That Pair started dubiously, but escalated into one of the most memorable sets, playing wickedly funny caricatures.

Casual Violence will be missed at this year’s Fringe, but I can’t wait to see what they come up with next.