Evolving out of Bristol's The Pop Group, Rip Rig And Panic was formed in 1981, taking its name from an album by Roland Kirk. The group's primary members were multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Gareth Sager, vocalist Neneh Cherry, drummer Bruce Smith, bassist Sean Oliver, and pianist Mark Springer (3). They performed at the first WOMAD festival in 1982 shortly before Cherry returned to Sweden to have her first baby. Sean Oliver's sister Andrea temporarily took over vocals and Louis Moholo joined on drums.

The group split in 1985, and realigned as the smaller Float Up CP, and then God Mother And Country, before Cherry went on to a successful solo career, with Andrea Oliver contributing to some of her songs. Sean Oliver, who went on to co-write Terence Trent D'Arby's , died of sickle-cell anaemia in 1990.