From the booklet that accompanied the Big Gold Dreams box set, issued by Cherry Red Records in 2019.
mp3: Visitors – Electric Heat
This influential Edinburgh quartet were formed from the ashes of The Deleted by brothers John and Derek McVay with Colin Craigie and Alan Laing.
Released in May 1979 on Sounds journalist and proprietor of fanzine Kingdom Come, Johnny Waller’s Deep Cuts label, ‘Electric Heat’ opens with the ominous insistence of a dystopian sci-fi film. Visitors signed to 4AD, but split up before they could release anything.
In 2011, Visitors’ final single ‘Compatability’ released (in 1981) on Allan Campbell’s Rational Records, was covered by Finitribe co-founder and Revolting Cocks mainstay Chris Connelly on his Artificial Intelligence album. In 2016, Canadian label Telephone Explosion Records released Poet’s End, a compilation named after the B-side of ‘Compilicity’.
Here’s the thing.
I’ve never heard of Visitors. It’s another example of the great gulf that existed back then between Glasgow and Edinburgh, despite the two cities being separated by just 45 miles. The fact that licensing laws prevented anyone under the age of 18 admission to most of the venues where live music was played meant I would be denied the opportunity to stumble across Visitors, and I’m sure the 15/16 year-old me would have most likely enjoyed them.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
The name rang a bell with me, so I had a look through the fabulous Edinburgh Gig Archive, and whaddya know? They supported New Order at Valentino’s in April 1981, a gig I remember well, naturally. Curiously I remember absolutely nothing about the Visitors. Hmm. We must have showed up a bit late, pre-loading at student union prices probably… I can’t find their name on too many other bills in the archive at that time, so I suspect their gigging career must have been confined to smaller pub venues. Interesting though – sounds a bit like a collision between Subway Sect and Split Enz…
They played the Countdown (or was it still called the Mars Bar then?) in Glasgow supported by none other than Aztec Camera (or was it Roddy and David’s band Neutral Blue?).
Wish my memory was better.
Love the energy and earnestness.
Never heard of the band – shame though, this is the sound of potential.