The Argus: fringe_2011_logo_red_thumb Previewing their Edinburgh Festival show, improv comedy group The Noise Next Door brought a whirlwind of energy to the packed house at The Brunswick.

Taking their inspiration from the audience, the five-piece deftly mixed humourous sketches, silly songs and participation pieces, keeping the show fast-paced and the performers on their toes.

Prompted by whatever the audience decided to shout out, the boys created obscure scenarios, ranging from romantic cricket porn to yoghurt-selling French plumbers, switching roles and concocting plots on the spot with often just a matter of seconds to prepare.

The bond between the performers was obvious and they were equally at ease picking up the baton after a gag that misfired as they were stitching each other up with outlandish (and sometimes physically impossible) requests.

Staging was minimal and props were judiciously used as the tie-clad quintet relied on their acting abilities to transport us from Homebase to the Vatican City and back again via Hogwarts.

Being a preview show, some of the newer sketch formats felt slightly forced and need a bit of tweaking to keep up with the overall high standard of the show.

Particular mention should be made of Sam Pacelli, a natural comedic performer and Tom Houghton, for his ability to pun on any given subject.