Rip Rig + Panic were a post-punk band founded in 1981, who broke up in 1983. They were named after a 1965 jazz album by Roland Kirk. They were formed by Sean Oliver (bass), Mark Springer (piano, sax, vocals), Gareth Sager (guitar, sax, keyboards, vocals) and Bruce Smith (drums, percussion) (the latter two formerly of The Pop Group) with singer Neneh Cherry. Their other members included 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 avantgarde 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. They also appeared with Nico on a BBC radio session.