Band finally makes the great escape 

Whilst it's true that Lancaster has a music scene to be proud of, longevity isn't one of its stronger points. Most bands last two or three years before disappearing. So surviving as a band through 12 years of musical changes acid trends - whilst of course adhering  to none is no mean feat. The Escape Committee have done just that. But now, after more than a decade of, in their words,    of "fights, feuds, benders,   arrests, breakages and antibiotics'!, they are heading  into the sun- set in search of Pastures new. Paddy Shannon, the   band's songwriter, guitarist and vocalist for the last ten years, explained: "We're all ready for a change but I do feel very sad about it - we all do. I suppose we've become a bit of an institution - one of  Lancaster's oldest bands. "But we've had a good run and we didn't want longevity for the sake of it." The band started out as a blues cover band but quickly morphed into, the original, politically-orientated band we see today. "We have made things difficult for ourselves," admitted Paddy. "There are very few independent bands that aren't doing commercial, poppy stuff, and there are very few venues willing to pick up a band like us. "We have a political element and that's not very fashionable either. But we have committed ourselves to doing things our way rather that following musical trends." The individual members are all hoping to continue along the musical path after the Escape Committee's  demise, although they are still undecided as to what direction they will take.  "Everything's still quite up in the air for us all - we're kind of reviewing our options." ; The band, despite changes in line-up over the years, have remained close throughout and admit their final gig will be a strange and sad occasion. "We been through a hell of a lot together," said Paddy. "They say being in a band is like being married, but its far more than that because you're married to five other people rather than just one! "We have always had a good morale in the band and we're lucky that we've had so many interesting players that have taken us in different directions. It's never been boring." Their final show is taking place next weekend, Saturday August 10, at the Wagon and Horses in Lancaster. "We want to take a bit more of a relaxed approach. We're just going to take it easy and enjoy ourselves."