After deciding that for my wedding I wanted a duelling piano show and nothing else... the hunt began online. PianoFactor was the second one to answer my inquiry an…
About PianoFactor – Our Story
How PianoFactor became one of the UK’s leading interactive piano entertainment companies
PianoFactor is a UK-based live piano entertainment company specialising in interactive, request-driven performances for weddings, corporate events and private functions across the UK and internationally.
Where it began
PianoFactor was founded in 2009 by pianist and performer Carl Williams, with a clear aim: to create a piano based live entertainment act that was interactive, flexible and driven by audience engagement rather than a fixed setlist.
The concept centred on duelling pianos — two piano entertainers performing live requests, responding instinctively and driving the energy in the room. At the time, duelling pianos was largely unavailable in the UK events market.
The first year involved no live performances — it was a development period spent refining the concept, shaping the show and laying the foundations of the business. In 2010, the first live event established the request-led, audience-focused approach that still defines PianoFactor today.
The performance was a success, leading to further bookings and the foundations of what PianoFactor would become. While the early shows were far from the polished production delivered today, the core concept — interaction, requests and audience connection — was firmly established.
How the show evolved
Since its first performances, PianoFactor has grown into a full-time live entertainment company delivering approximately 100 events each year across the UK and internationally.
Today PianoFactor delivers its live piano entertainment through three core acts: the Duelling Pianos, the Party Piano Band and the Pop-Up Piano Bar — each offering a different scale and style of the PianoFactor experience.
Regardless of the format, every performance is built around the same fundamentals: genuine audience interaction, high-energy pacing that keeps the room moving, and experienced, professional entertainers who know how to lead a live event.
Meet the team
Carl Williams
Pianist / Singer / EntertainerFounder
James Alexander
Pianist / Singer / Entertainer
Gina May
Pianist / Singer / Entertainer
Will Spurling
Drummer
Nathan Wright
Guitarist / Singer
Ben Smith
Guitarist / Singer
Chris Alderidge
Saxophonist
Rosie O'Callaghan
SaxophonistA note from the founder
A true entertainer can capture a room in seconds — and keep it there all night. That ability is rare, and it’s what everything at PianoFactor is built around.
Before PianoFactor ever played its first live event, a full year was spent building the concept from scratch — designing the show, building the first piano shells, and doing the unglamorous groundwork to make it real. When the first booking finally came in (Microsoft, Bristol), we delivered it with two handmade piano builds and a lot of borrowed gear.
Looking back, it was rough around the edges — but the core idea was already there: this isn’t “background music”. It’s a room-changing, audience-connected experience. The job is not just playing piano — it’s reading people, lifting the energy, and having the confidence to lead the moment when it matters.
The truth is: not everyone can do this job. Being a strong musician is one part of it — but being able to read a room within moments and lift an audience almost instantly takes a very different kind of skill altogether. That combination of musicianship, confidence and connection is rare, and we’re privileged to work with such talented musicians and entertainers at PianoFactor.
If you book PianoFactor, you’re booking a team that takes the responsibility of the room seriously. We’ll bring the talent, the experience, and that extra bit of magic that turns “good” into unforgettable.
Carl Williams
Founder & Creative Director, PianoFactor
Founder & Creative Director, PianoFactor
Experience you can trust
He’s calm and you can trust him.
Carl kept my guests entertained and the dance floor full all night.
PianoFactor is a full-time live entertainment company led by Carl Williams, built around professional, request-driven piano shows. Our performers don’t just play songs — they deliver live piano entertainment that works. They read rooms, work seamlessly with venues and event teams, and perform confidently under real event conditions.
Over the years, our piano entertainers have performed at an extraordinary range of venues and events — from private celebrations and corporate functions to large-scale public shows and televised productions. That experience shapes how we approach every booking, regardless of size.
This depth of experience means our acts arrive prepared, adaptable and confident — whether performing in an intimate room or a demanding, high-profile environment.
Major venues we have performed at
- Wembley Stadium
- Scottish Event Campus (SEC)
- ICC Birmingham
- Stadium MK
Our clients include
- Microsoft
- NFL
- Virgin
- Guinness Storehouse
- Rolls-Royce
- Mercedes
- BBC
- RAF
Customer Reviews
Piano Factor played at our wedding and were in a word, awesome! It was the most incredible party, everybody loved every minute of it. We wish we could do it all ov…
What entertainers! We booked Carl and the team for a joint stag and hen do, and we couldn't have picked a better way to end the Saturday activities. They got a gro…
Carl and his team performed at my daughter's wedding - wow what a performance they put on - such talented musicians. They got everyone up dancing - I can't thank…
we attended a wedding last year that Piano Factor played at, well what can I say they were amazing!! From the first song till the last song the dance floor was not…
Carl and the team at Pianofactor were the entertainment at my wedding at Goodwood House. The whole day was amazing and the Pianofactor guys just made it even bette…
Goodness Gracious Great Balls of Fire! I have hired the guys from Piano Factor for three different corporate events now. Each time they are incredible, they bring…
We booked these guys for our wedding and they were unbelievably good. They can play almost anything and no one left the dance floor all night. They gave us a reall…
I don't know where to start with this review so I will just write it as it comes....we were at Warners in Nottingham a couple of weeks ago, and yes, the no childre…
I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you, I already knew how good you were as I’d watched your promo video’s, but you absolutely smashed it out of the par…
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