An 11-piece brass band in sailor suits, a glittering mermaid twirling seductively from a ceiling hung hoop and Australian musical troupe Flap! making an exuberant cameo: welcome to the sights and sounds of The Loveboat Big Band’s Fringe voyage.

Playing one of four Friday night shows at this year’s festival, the Edinburgh entertainers began atop a wooden boat in Summerhall’s Courtyard, a musical procession and muffled maritime theatrics setting the frolicsome tone. Inside there were highlights aplenty: a member of The Loveboat Big Band taking his ‘first ever’ stage dive and their booming performance of original numbers, vintage tracks and crowd-pleasing covers, The Eurythmics’ ‘Sweet Dreams’ and Bee Gees’ ‘How Deep is Your Love’ among them. A classic version of Frank Sinatra’s ‘I Got the World on a String’ was set to a stunningly choreographed showpiece from an All or Nothing aerialist and scattered appearances from the burlesque tinged Miss.Fit Sisters proved equally jaw-dropping. Musically things took a cheeky turn with flamboyant quintet Flap!’s unique breed of jazz and swing-rooted tunes.

The night’s standout moment was its finale: Flap! and The Loveboat Big Band’s electrifying version of James Brown’s ‘I’ll Go Crazy’. Many shows promise riotous musical fun, this one delivers it.