Fuzz-pop band Pipsy to play their first show in Whanganui on January 14

Paul McMillan (second from right) has an all new lineup for Pipsy's 2021 tour. Photo / Supplied

Covid-19 has forced Kiwi bands to look inwardly when it comes to touring, and Whanganui has been a benefactor of that in the past few months.

Hot on the heels of like-minded indie acts Ha The Unclear and Soaked Oats, four-piece fuzz-pop band Pipsy will be heading to the River City on January 14.

Formerly Melbourne-based, Pipsy is the brainchild of singer-songwriter Paul McMillan. He took some time out from playing basketball in Invercargill to talk to the Chronicle about his upcoming The Hopeful Sounds tour.

"My wife and I really missed home, so we moved back to New Zealand in March," McMillan said.

"The rest of the guys are Kiwis living in Melbourne, but they love it there and have bought houses and things like that.

"We were going to see if they could fly over and play, but unfortunately with the [Covid-19] situation they couldn't.

"I've just formed a new, all-Kiwi band, and it's a bit of a 'super' line-up really.

"We've got drummer Jordan Cossill (Murgatroyd), bassist Hanna Ott (Filth Wizard), and guitarist Dylan Walker (Ragged)."

Multi-instrumentalist McMillan, originally from Invercargill, said he and his wife were among the first people flying from Australia to enter a quarantine facility in New Zealand.

"We got told the morning of our flight that we would be quarantining in Auckland and wouldn't be able to carry on down to Queenstown.

"To be honest, we were pretty happy just to be able to get home, considering how uncertain it was at the time. We just had a bit of a surprise holiday, and now we're based in Wellington.

"Me and Dylan live here, and the other half of the band are in Invercargill."

The band have released three EPs so far, with a new album planned for 2021.

McMillan said to date he had produced all of Pipsy's music himself.

"I played all the instruments on the earlier releases, but then I started getting friends in to play drums and bass, including my very good friends Shane [Hellyer] and Dan [Hoffman], the other two members of the Melbourne line-up.

"I wear many hats for this thing. It's a pretty personal project, I guess."

McMillan said he was a big fan of "heavier guitar bands that play pop songs", and 90s alternative rock in particular.

"The Pixies are a really big influence on me, and I'm a big Nirvana fan as well. Probably like every other muso, I'm a big Beatles fan as well. Weezer is another one. I like that they play simple, memorable pop songs, but they play them with guitars.

"I was wanting to write almost 50s and 60s type pop songs, like The Crystals or something, with really catchy turn arounds and strong melodies.

"A lot of the songs are relatively short, maybe around two minutes and 50 seconds. It's like an injection of bubblegum pop with guitars as the delivery system."

McMillan said "Pipsy" was his nickname in Dunedin, where he played music for 10 years.

"One night I was at a bar and someone walked past and said 'hey Pipsy'. I told my mate that someone had just called me that and he was like 'yeah, I've heard you're called Pipsy now'.

"Apparently a bass player in a band down there decided it was a good name, and it just spread like wildfire."

McMillan said this would be Pipsy's first show in Whanganui, although he had played at a house party in the city in 2014 when he was a part of The Julian Temple Band.

"A good friend of mine, Anthonie Tonnon, was the one who was giving us an 'in' on the scene in Whanganui and places to play. It'll be great to see him when we come through town.

"This will be the first time playing [in Whanganui] in an actual establishment, and this is actually the first time Pipsy have done a tour of New Zealand."

Pipsy will play at Lucky Bar on January 14, supported by Palmerston North band Persimmon.

To check out Pipsy's music, go to pipsy.bandcamp.com/music