10 Forgotten 80s Bands Worth Rediscovering
6. Rip Rig + Panic
One of the most distinctive post-punk bands to emerge from England during the early '80s, it should tell you much about the group's ambition that Rip Rip + Panic took their name from an album by avant-garde jazz multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk. There is another notable jazz connection here – the band, which revolved around core members Sean Oliver (bass), Mark Springer (piano/sax), Gareth Sager (guitar/sax/keys) and Bruce Smith (drums), also featured celebrated trumpeter and Ornette Coleman collaborator, Don Cherry.
Rip Rip + Panic's music was further graced by the distinctive vocals of Cherry's step-daughter, Neneh Cherry, although their sound is a world away from Neneh's solo R&B work. The band melded the thumping bass, spiky sounds and freedom of expression of post-punk with experimental jazz and reggae to forge albums of eclectic, ear-catching music.
They could certainly throw out a gripping pop hook when they wanted to, but they were equally likely to skew left into extended, un-tethered sonic adventures which had more in common with jazz innovators such as the aforementioned Ornette Coleman than their contemporaries. At the next turn, you may find yourself back into visceral post-punk of the highest order. It is this diversity of invention which makes any Rip Rig + Panic record a fascinating listen.