The Escape Committee

The Escape Committee

The Escape Committee is a group formed in 1989 and based around a live, pub-rock approach in the north west of England. It begins as a project by four professional musicians who want to play for enjoyment and avoid the usual rock ’n’ roll routines.

The line-up includes Helen Cattanach, Spencer P. Jones and Andy Moore, with frontman Pete “Frammo” Frampton also a key figure in the act. Frampton plays a range of Gibson guitars alongside various Stratocasters, Telecasters and Les Pauls. The group also works with a rotating network of part-time members who meet in different parts of the UK and form separate “branches”.

The Escape Committee records with a deliberately live sound. Its best-known album is Caught Live, and Four Upstanding is another later release. Caught Live is recorded at the Farmers Arms in Northwich, Cheshire, a venue that has since closed.

The band regularly plays venues including The King’s Head in Warrington, The Stocks at Padgate, The Grapes in Stafford and the Gardeners in Stoke. Part-time branch members include George Glover, Steve Hayes, John Gibson, Paul Burgess, Mike Byronhehir, Steve Gibson, Tim Chu, Steve Millington, Pete de Bertrand, Colin Hewlett, Nick Windsor and Mark Guillou.