Burgeoning seems too understated a word for the momentum Brighton's music scene is gaining.

Not only are local bands like Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, British Sea Power, Electric Soft Parade and Electrelane becoming increasingly successful in their own right but, like a happy bunch of incestuous buddies, they're also branching out to do side projects with each other.

One such example is Brakes, a combo made up of ESP's Tom and Alex White, The Tenderfoot's Marc Beatty and BSP's Eamon.

Formed after a drunken idea the four-piece specialise in satirical, super-short political songs that take swipes at Blair, Bush, and the rest of the crew.

Their somewhat misleading press release gives no clue to the band's political nature, but claims Brakes formed to sing about "punkin' new hair moves" and "awesome postcodes". Eamon disingenously says: "We just get together, discuss a few styles and the new Elle magazine and basically drink beer."

They are now about to headline their own tour and have just released their debut single Pick Up The Phone on Tigboat Records which, to add to the interweaving of talents, has a promo video shot by BSP's bassist Hamilton.

"You get a few days off tour and you get bored," explains Eamon as he rushes to get some breakfast at noon.

"You sit on your bed in your underpants and sweat for 24 hours and start to think 's***, what shall I do now?'

"It started when I was playing some acoustic tunes in Palmers Bar on Queen Square and Tom, Alex and Marc were all there. We all got drunk and said: 'Let's do it, let's do a band!

"We've all known each other for the best part of five years and we've all played together before we were signed."

Eamon, originally a 'reserve cadet' for BSP before being promoted to full-time keyboardist and occasional drum-basher last year, is the vocalist for Brakes. His is an energetic, exaggerated style of vocal which wavers between a shout, a growl and, on Pick Up The Phone, a yodel.

Most of the tracks deliver more feisty bursts of energy than your usual BSP, ESP or Tenderfoot songs. Pick up the Phone is a mere 28-second rant at various world leaders and Cheney is a blink-and-miss-it beratement of the US vice-president.

"This music is different," says Eamon. "We do pretty short songs, whereas lately BSP's are 16-minute epics. If the single goes to the Top Ten it'll be in the Guinness Book Of Records as the shortest single of all time."

Where Brakes go from here depends, it seems, on time.

They will support British Sea Power at Concorde 2, Madeira Drive, Brighton on October 26 (a rather energy-challenging order for member of both bands Eamon), but with mothership outfits BSP, ESP and The Tenderfoot all due to release new albums in the near future, it seems unlikely there will be one coming from the splinter group too.

But plans are already afoot for a huge Brighton band party gig at the Freebutt this Christmas - to include all members of the three bands and fellow dudes Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster and 'lesbo underground' rockers Electrelane.

Future splinters and re-groupings seem more than likely with this extended musical family who Eamon says will, rather than simply take it in turns, play "one giant jam."