The original line-up included singer Joe Lean, guitarists Tommy D (Tom Dougall) and Dominic O'Dair, bassist Panda (Maxim Barron) and drummer James Craig.

[3] Following a name change to Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong, they played their first gig in January 2007 and released their debut single "Lucio Starts Fires" on 8 October.

In the same year, the band supported Babyshambles, Dizzee Rascal, Cansei de Ser Sexy and Kaiser Chiefs, and completed their first headlining tour across the UK in December.

[4] In 2008, Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong supported The Cribs on the 2008 NME Awards Tour, and showcased their sound at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas.

They played at the Glastonbury Festival[5] in June 2008, despite their name erroneously appearing as "Joe Ling and the Jing Jang Jong" on the line-up, and in August at Pukkelpop in Kiewit-Hasselt, Belgium.