This is technically Margate’s third ‘long-player’, the band having been around since 2003. The current line up of Alex Helbig (drums), Steve Weil (bass) and Doug Mitchell (guitar) has been in place since 2006. All pitch in on vocals, a strong point of their music, with Alex taking lead. So, they’ve been around a while and do describe themselves as ‘the band that wouldn’t quit’.

The EP kicks off splendidly with Control, a proper rock track at full speed with big guitar solos thrown in for good measure. “Who’s in control” the chorus asks and based on this start, Margate clearly are. A great start then, but one that’s not built upon. Track two is a cover of the Beatle’s classic Eleanor Rigby that can only be described as adequate at best. This is a simply pedestrian rock cover that’s completely at odds with Control and the rest of the EP.

Live it Up gets Margate back on track and the form is carried on into Lovesick where the band doesn’t slow down but does show a slightly more melodic side. Lovesick probably deserves an outing on its own in the future. Rock ‘n Roll Reserve, the headline track is all 100 mile-an-hour vocals to match the guitars, proper high energy stuff but also not the best track here; Control and Lovesick steel a march in that respect. The EP closes out with This Road with the pace slowed just a little to show that Margate are able to put their song writing skills up to scrutiny without any fears.

Whether Rock ‘n Roll Reserve will bring Margate their UK break-through, I’m not sure. Their original work is par for the course for the genre and they are reputedly an exciting live act. But, and it’s a big ‘but’, they’ve been around since 2003 in one form or another and haven’t really made much of an impact beyond the west coast of the US. Now, to be fair, that is a huge market in its own right but based on this outing, the critical stepping stone of UK success is still going to be out of reach. The cover of Eleanor Rigby probably reveals more than the band intended; it’s a routine cover that makes you wonder just how much more of their set is the same.

Reviewed by d-jaysea.

Margate's Rock 'n'Roll Reserve is out on 12 September 2011.