Once in a while, a band comes along that takes everyone by surprise.

A band who, by their own efforts, get fans talking, musicians twitching with curiosity, and excited industry insiders rubbing their hands with glee.

They don't come around very often, these acts, but when they do, you know it.

Take the latest buzz band on everyone's lips - Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong.

Even the handicap of a ridiculous name has done nothing to dampen the enthusiasm surrounding this plucky Brighton five-piece.

Joe and co are at the eye of a storm of interest and intrigue, with scene-followers clamouring to know more about these lanky young upstarts.

"We are grateful for the hype and the support," says Joe. "Everyone is talking about who we are and what we sound like. But until they come and see us, they are not going to know."

The band are relaxing backstage at the Oxford Carling Academy, before their support slot for rapper Dizzee Rascal.

The show preceded stints with hard-partying Pete Doherty's Babyshambles, Kaiser Chiefs and, now, Brazilian glitter-loving, DIY electro-rock nu-ravers CSS - who hit the Academy this Tuesday.

Joe cites such influences as Big Star, Smokey Robinson and Dion And The Belmonts. But how do his band describe their bristling brand of guitar rock, killer melodies, and big pop vocals? With difficulty, it seems.

"It's difficult to sum up," says guitarist Dom O'Dare.

"Even we don't know," chips in fellow guitarist Tom Dougall.

"We don't go 'we are writing a 60s garage rock song' or a pop song. We just do what comes out.

"We don't have an agenda - we just want to make music!"

Joe agrees: "We don't set out to do something retro," he says. "It is different to what's been done before."

The band formed in 2006 while Joe was drumming with The Pipettes.

Interestingly, he was also embarking on a career as a promising actor - appearing in cult shows Nathan Barley and Peep Show.

When he decided his future lay in pulling together his own band, he didn't have to look far for company. "I realised I knew the three best guitarists in the country and managed to get one of them to play bass," he explains.

After a year of intensive writing and rehearsal, the band played their first show early this year. And it took only a handful of gigs before the buzz kicked in.

The fact the band already knew each other well, adds to the illusion that they have been around for ages.

"We have all been best friends," says Tom. "We started out just for fun - doing it for a bit of a laugh. Joe was in the Pipettes then, but I didn't think he'd ever leave to join our band."

"We soon realised it would be a waste not to play to as many people as we could, though."

Tom admits the hype has come as a surprise.

"I can't explain why this has happened," he adds. "It's down to chance. But hopefully we can deliver!"

They admit it's been harder than it looks, however. "We played Liverpool recently," says bassist Panda. "People were chucking coins at us before we even picked our guitars up! If you can play there, you can play anywhere."

So who have they managed to satisfy the widely differing tastes of fans of Dizzee, Doherty, and CSS's LoveFoxx?

"Playing with Dizzee Rascal was also tough," says Dom, "but brilliant."

"We just don't think about it too much," adds Tom. We are proud of what we do - and if people don't like it, it's not that important.

"As long as we think it sounds good, whether people like it is irrelevant."

Dom agrees: "We just go on stage and hammer it out. Even though we play to different crowds, we don't change anything."

With so many hopes resting on their youthful shoulders, have they speculated about where they are heading? "We don't think about that too much, either," smiles Dom. "There's no way of predicting what's going to happen."

"If we thought about what could happen, we'd have a nervous breakdown," laughs Tom.

"We are still finding our feet," he adds. "We are so new to the whole thing, but we definitely feel we are lucky.

"None of us expected this to happen - and to have this as a job is a dream.

"We are being paid to hang out with our best mates and have fun!"

The band's debut Lucio Starts Fires is out now on Young & Lost Club.

The band support CSS and Metronomy at the Carling Academy on Tuesday. Doors open at 7pm. Tickets are £15 in advance from the Box Office on 0844 477 2000.