LIVE REVIEW: PIEN - SHOWCASE - THE MINISTRY

It was towards the back of the summer of 2025 that #TEAMw21 first became aware of Pien, with her single "Fine". Ever since then like a siren, she has lured us in with songs of real substance, "Son" detailing the relationship between her father and his parents, and the soon to be released Kezia Gill co write "Here's To" which is a fairly unflinching reprise of her life and career so far. The next thing was to see her live and for #TEAMw21's second showcase of the day it was off to The Ministry.

The Ministry is a strange old place, no sign of course, just a bouncer on the door suggesting that there might be anything occurring there at all.

Turn right and you were in some sort of dating evening, however turn left and you were in an event run be Amplify Her, an organisation offering help, support and advice to new artists, climaxing in a showcase. It was not the most ideal setting for a performance, the stage area was fine, with rows of comfy seats in front of it, however a section to the side of the stage seemed to generate a lot of noise, a challenge the artists at tonights showcase will no doubt meet along the way however a little courtesy at this stage would have been nice.

The other acts were a little off genre, which gave us a few moments to introduce ourselves to Pien, who would prove most charming company while we waited for her time to perform.

A bright smile and blonde hair with curls all ready to perform in her shorts and prominent boots. You could not help but be impressed by her determination and with good reason. Her excellent new single "Here's To" was written with Kezia GIll over Zoom, and like all the best songs it written relatively quickly, with Kezia truly embracing Pien's original idea.

#TEAMw21 mention that it could easily have been a bitter song however it is more a celebration, accepting that the darker times have made her the artist she is today. Pien would draw our attention to the bridge which really makes that point clear. There is at least one more single to come in this current run but we'll need to wait at least a month for that. She is also hoping to head to Nashville in the spring of 2027 so it is exciting times both now and for the future.

By the time Pien came to perform, a lot of the industry folk in the noisy area had quietened down a bit. Pien took to the stage and immediately tied 4 orange bandanas to her mic stand, paying tribute to and offering a hint as to her homeland. She would then stand to the side of the stage to make her proper entrance. The room may have quietened a little, but it was still a room that demanded that you make it pay attention to you - Pien would do just that. The stage was rather unhelpfully bathed in a red light and a garish backdrop for by far the most accomplished performer on the night. Pien's set would start with some ethereal music and various women speaking out about censorship, and oppression, #TEAMw21 recognized Dolly Parton saying "I'm all about taking care of the people"

Pien then took to the stage proper where she was joined by guitarist George and launched into "Not Yet", initially a capella, before shortly being joined by George and a backing track with percussion and keyboard sounds. Normally it might be something that we'd frown on, but for this performing space and audience, having the additional backing did help. The key sounds of Pien's voice and George's guitar remained the prominent ones that you heard . It was by far the poppiest song of her set complete with a high pitched cooing chorus.

Her second song was her previous single "Son", which saw Pien walk the stage with a sense of self assurance and confidence, that comes when you know you are performing quality material.

The lyrics to "Son" are quite deep, for this occasion though it was about getting the song across that was most important, and "Son" comes with a glorious irresistible upbeat chorus that is impossible to ignore. The opening verse though showed Pien able to deliver the heartfelt subtle lyrics, with true feeling. The song affords lots of chances to display various vocal talents, all of which Pien did with some aplomb.

Until now, no-one in the evening had really appealed to anyone outside of their core base of fans, that would change with Pien's final tune, the song that initially brought her to our attention, the dreamy almost jazzy pop of "Totally Honest".

The lines "Haven't felt this freedom in so long" were accompanied by Pien expressing that feeling in dance. it was another melody that richly showed off Pien's vocal talents, her stage presence now came to the fore and soon the whole audience were clapping along. In truth it was but a mere soupcon of an introduction, but like an addictive drug you immediately wanted your next hit.