It takes a certain kind of confidence to be a solo musician; to stand alone on stage trying to empty your head of its jumble of thoughts, dreams and fears. It’s a unique confidence, a fiercely independent nature that may not necessarily be inherent, only manifesting itself over time. But with encouragement and nurturing such a belief can be founded.

To be fair Evelyn Morris has spent most of her early musically career sat at the back stages hammering the skins as distortion swirls around her; drumming for True Radical Miracle and Baseball her ability and voice are pushed to the limits. Although enjoying such experimental dips in the pool a quieter voice emerged inside her that need a chance to be heard. The volume needed to be turned down for her solo material.

Under the name Pikelet, Morris has created a dizzying introspective world armed only with a loop pedal, intricate rhythms, and multi-layered harmonies; her fantastical work devoted to friends and loved ones, the small and unseen, and princesses spending their time in front of their mirror. In Pikelet, Morris’ debut album, fairytales blend with colourful nursery rhymes, tribal beats underlying swirling vocals that hypnotise the listener with childlike imagination and wonder.

 “It was something I’d felt like I wanted to do for a long time but hadn’t really found my voice”, explains Morris about her transition from drummer to solo artist. “I lacked the confidence in what I was doing. I think that also being able to use the loop pedal and a four track kind of takes a different angle on it [song writing] than just a guitar and a voice. It’s a lot more interesting for me.”

It was the introduction to the loop pedal that changed her approach to her own writing, giving her a voice she felt comfortable with. An early EP was recorded and passed around friends who immediately encouraged her to get on stage. Early shows were more improvised in nature; something that Morris likened to a noise project – a method which is acknowledged on Pikelet’s track ‘It’s Not Childish’, a multicoloured collage of noise and vocals. But with time structure started to appear and it was exactly what Morris needed. “I started getting more interested in it, and I felt more comfortable on stage when I had songs that I could repeat every time and be sure they were going to turn out how I wanted them to.”

With the new equipment she found herself able to articulate her music with more confidence, it also allowed her a respite from her drumming. “I wanted to do something where I could be a little more intentional with the sound, not so much this big massive wall of sound. I guess I was just sick of seeing bands.”

Wanting to approach her solo music in a new light and trying to avoid being pigeon holed is something that has spilled out into the rest of Morris’ life. “It’s not really something that’s specific to song writing, it’s something that I’m fairly conscious of in every aspect of music as well. Like with drumming, I don’t often want to play straight beats because I get bored. I enjoy developing a style and that’s what I feel causes that, doing things differently.”

With her innovative approach, different genres and styles can still be painted with such a minimum amount of tools. She carefully selects her method of approach wanting both herself and the listener to avoid becoming bored. Songs are sometimes loop heavy with layers cascading over one another as a furious rate: occasionally only one loop is used with her instrumentation playing above it all, and her understanding of the impact of eclectic rhythms offers another avenue of delivery. “It depends whether I want it to tell a story or whether I simply want to make nice sounds or whether there’s a particular rhythm I want explore.”

This developing understanding of her music has given her a sense of validation and allowed her to find her feet, not only as an individual but also a performer. Her live shows are quiet, personal affairs, almost a bedroom gig with Morris playing her secret recordings. But, despite the spontaneity of it all, she has definite feelings about what she likes in a performer; strengthened by her recent tour with The Blow, a similar band in so much as the music is often quite cute with smatterings of pop.

“They had a real strength in the way they perform. I sort of like the idea of someone being able to be strong and cute, and almost aggressive, but not overtly aggressive,” This is translated perfectly with Morris’ live, and quintessentially human shows,  she reveals nerves, deals with on stage mishaps earnestly, and occasionally her cheeks flush with embarrassment; all the while she delivers her songs with maturity and purpose. This maturity can be seen as a vital element in her songs that allows her to deliver tales of lost goldfish without sniggers from the back row. Although the subject may not suggest a seriousness her delivery enables the listener to feel the same wonder and imagination she clearly possess.

Her new album presented new challenges for her because, although extra tracks could be used, she had the constraint of whether or not the album tracks could be performed live. “A lot of the time when I record it will force me to change the way I perform it live.” But she viewed such challenges with delight and during the recording of the album it allowed for her space to continue being creative and exploring the dynamics of her songs.

Her skills as a musician are being further tested by her involvement in an indie band aimed at children called The Purple Stripes. Her friend writes all the songs which allows Morris to arrange different parts around what is written. “I play the drums, glockenspiel and I sing a lot. It’s been a really interesting experience because I’ve had to write vocal parts to someone else’s songs and she is usually very clear about what she wants. It’s been challenging and it’s helped me develop ideas about melody.”

It seems then that Morris’ restlessness has enabled her to find her own voice, “I think that’s part of my personality and always has been.” Overcoming her early lack of confidence through encouragement and determination has developed her as a performer, allowing her to explore ideas thoroughly and create such kaleidoscopic compositions. Her material seems to sound fuller each performance; her new structures flourish, and her foot agility on her loop pedal is becoming more agile (look out for her toe work switching between delay and reverb). Her development is a joy to behold and in such cynical times it is a privilege to find such an honest and humble musician.

Remaining philosophical about her future she adds, “You can’t tell what the future is going to hold but I really like to spend as much time going overseas. That’s one of the reasons why I’ve kept it to a solo project; it’s really easy to tour with one person.”