NOEL Fielding is set to appear at the BIC tonight as part of his first solo tour in five years.

The comedian, who thanks to his work on The Mighty Boosh, Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy and Never Mind the Buzzcocks, has an enormously loyal following, is starring in a new show, simply entitled An Evening with Noel Fielding.

Featuring Noel’s inimitable blend of stand-up, animation, music and appearances by some of his best-loved characters, including The Moon, The Dark Side of the Moon and Fantasy Man, it’s a lively show.

“You’d be a fool to miss out,” beams Noel. “Come along, bring your Nan.”

The five years away from the live arena have only whetted Noel’s appetite for stand-up. He can’t wait to get back in front of an audience. The performer, who has spent the last few years occupied by the meticulously produced, semi-animated E4 show, Noel Fielding’s Luxury Comedy, begins by underlining that nothing beats the rush generated by live work.

“The problem with TV is that it takes years to make, and after a while you can’t remember what it’s like to tell a joke and get a laugh from it.

“The great thing about live comedy is that it cuts out the middle men – all those TV producers and directors. It takes out everything that gets in the way, so it’s just you and the audience. It’s a really pure set-up.”

The innovative nature of Noel’s comedy can divide people.

“Some people might think they’re allergic to you,” he says.

“But if they come to a live show and see everyone is laughing, it’s hard to say that it’s not funny. It was the same with the Boosh. Sceptics were convinced when they came to our shows.

“As a stand-up, you spend all day being nervous. But as soon as you step onto the stage and get the first laugh, it’s magic time. It’s like being in a dream. It’s a real buzz.”

Noel, who for many years has been a popular team captain on BBC2’s long-running pop quiz, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, is also relishing the prospect of touring the country.

“It’s great,” he enthuses. “You get to visit all these nice places you’ve never been to before. When you arrive at a lot of towns, you just go, ‘Wow!’”

The comedian, who will be joined on stage by his brother Michael Fielding, proceeds to let us in on the plot for tonight’s show. “The first half is set in a cabaret club,” he reveals.

“Then I get kidnapped from my own show, and in the second half the rest of the characters have to find me.

“I’ll be playing other characters during the second half. It becomes like a play. It’s a sort of farce.”

It will also feature music that Noel has composed with Serge Pizzorno from Kasabian and some characteristically entrancing stand-up routines.

“I touch on turning 40 and my Peter Pan complex. Because I’m now 40, I try to do a bleak bit, but of course it soon becomes completely fantastical. I attempt to go gritty, but I can’t help going fantasy.”

So what does the comic hope that audiences will take away from An Evening with Noel Fielding? “I hope they laugh their heads off,” he declares.

The only drawback about touring as far as Noel is concerned is that “you’re buzzing with adrenaline when you come off stage”.

He adds: “You have to do something with that, and it’s very hard not to go and get drunk. In the old days, we’d give the Rolling Stones a run for their money with our after-show behaviour.

“But now I’m in my forties, I have to find new ways to calm myself down. Like Mick Jagger, I’ll have to get fit. After the show, Michael and I used to go drinking. This time we’ll have to go to mazes and local markets and drink peppermint tea.”

Unable to resist one last gag, Noel concludes: “It’s the Peppermint Tea Tour. I should have called it that!”