Rip Rig And Panic

An experimental post-punk act whose clattering mix of dubby reggae, infectious funk and spikey guitars made them cult heroes in the early 1980s, Rip Rig + Panic launched the career of Neneh Cherry and helped pave the way for Bristol's seminal trip hop scene. Formed by former members of political punk-fusion act The Pop Group, Gareth Sager (guitar, sax, keyboards) and Bruce Smith (drums, percussion), the band's messy, chaotic, upbeat sound was fronted by soul singer Andrea Oliver and a teenage Cherry and drew inspiration from the likes of The Slits, PiL and Ian Dury and the Blockheads. Taking their name from a record by US jazz star Roland Kirk, albums God (1981), I Am Cold (1982) and Attitude (1983) were wild, avant garde experiments that drew an underground, cult audience but gained a wider following after an appearance on the anarchic BBC sitcom The Young Ones performing their single You're My Kind of Climate. They also recorded a radio session with German singer Nico, before splitting in 1983 with Cherry going on to become a big solo star with her hit Buffalo Stance.