Rip Rig + Panic were a post-punk band that was formed in 1981 and broke up in 1983 after recording three albums and a number of singles.  They got their name from the title of the 1965 album by Rahsaan Roland Kirk.  The core members were Sean Oliver on bass and vocals, Neneh Cherry on lead vocals, Mark Springer on piano, sax, and vocals, Gareth Sager on guitar, sax, keyboards, and vocals, and Bruce Smith on drums and percussion (the latter two formerly of The Pop Group). They were sometimes joined by saxophonist Flash (David Wright), singer Andrea Oliver, trumpeter David De Fries and viola player Sarah Sarhandi.

The group strayed from more conventional post-punk, mixing avant garde elements with jazz and led by Cherry's innovative pop/soul singing style. Their second album, I Am Cold, included a number of tracks featuring jazz trumpeter Don Cherry, who was Neneh Cherry's stepfather.