Throughlines #1 - Alice Kim, Gemma Gates, Slip Martin
Cardigan Arms, Leeds, LS4 2HQ
Thursday 13th November 2025
Each month, we give three songwriters the same creative challenge – inspired by the same prompt, each will write a brand new song to share alongside a set of their own music. It's part concert, part songwriting experiment, and a window into the process of some of our favourite artists.
Featuring Alice Kim, Gemma Gates and Slip Martin; hosted by Harry Orme
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Alice Kim
Alice Kim might be carving her path in the world of alternative-indie and RnB, but her sound is universal: intimate, relatable and unapologetically human. If her music feels like it knows you, it’s because she’s singing straight from the heart.
Kim’s early musical interest came from her parents’ 80s record collection, stacks of her sister's burnt RnB CDs, and endless hours with a Sony Discman. When she moved to Leeds, Kim began to perform and write with different outfits such as New Position, Tete de Pois and the Belgrave House band. Now, Alice Kim has broken away to mark a new path as a solo artist. She was picked up by Launchpad+ and from there has soared over the last year, with radio play, festival runs, and her first UK tour.
Kim's Debut EP, PLAYER TWO, unveils her vulnerability, showcasing a maturity that comes with over a decade of understanding herself as an artist. Kim explores the uncertainty and milestones of being in your late 20s, with soulful emotionally charged songwriting that feels both fresh and familiar.
Spotify // Instagram // Bandcamp // Youtube
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Gemma Gates
Gemma Gates is an Irish-born singer-songwriter currently based in Leeds, UK. With influences from artists like Laura Marling and the Staves, Gemma's songwriting also explores alternative perspectives on the folk traditions of her birthplace with a focus on bold melodies, rich harmonies and personal lyricism.
Being from Ireland, she has always played music, and started off her journey into music playing with various folk bands at venues and festivals across Northumberland. She has now branched out on her own with this solo project, and was one the finalists considered to receive a 'Danny' at the Celtic Connections Festival 2024, where she performed at the DKOS Stage at the Royal Glasgow Concert Hall.
Instagram // Spotify // Live
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Slip Martin
Slip Martin is the alias of Leeds based multi-instrumentalist George Hall. As a drummer, George has toured all over the world, including with artists such as Leo Stannard, Vipertime and Jasmine Myra. Over lockdown, George turned his attention to songwriting and rediscovered his first musical love - the guitar. Thus, Slip Martin was born.
Working closely with producer Ed Allen, Slip Martin's debut EP ‘Wallflower’ was released in the summer of 2024. Despite being a completely independent artist, an audience was promptly found for Slip Martin, with his debut EP garnering radio play on BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music, BBC Introducing and Amazing Radio. In the 2024, he was long listed for the PRS Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition and his songs have been streamed more than 100K times.
Described by Emily Pilbeam and Christian Carlisle (BBC 6 Music and BBC Introducing) as ‘dreamy alternative-pop’, Slip Martin’s music is sophisticated but accessible and will sit nicely with fans of James Blake, Saya Gray and Bon Iver. His sophomore EP ‘Travelling Somewhere, Distance Unknown’ is scheduled to be released in February 2026 - the first single ‘Underwater’ is out now.
Spotify // Instagram // YouTube
Featuring Alice Kim, Gemma Gates and Slip Martin; hosted by Harry Orme
***
Alice Kim
Alice Kim might be carving her path in the world of alternative-indie and RnB, but her sound is universal: intimate, relatable and unapologetically human. If her music feels like it knows you, it’s because she’s singing straight from the heart.
Kim’s early musical interest came from her parents’ 80s record collection, stacks of her sister's burnt RnB CDs, and endless hours with a Sony Discman. When she moved to Leeds, Kim began to perform and write with different outfits such as New Position, Tete de Pois and the Belgrave House band. Now, Alice Kim has broken away to mark a new path as a solo artist. She was picked up by Launchpad+ and from there has soared over the last year, with radio play, festival runs, and her first UK tour.
Kim's Debut EP, PLAYER TWO, unveils her vulnerability, showcasing a maturity that comes with over a decade of understanding herself as an artist. Kim explores the uncertainty and milestones of being in your late 20s, with soulful emotionally charged songwriting that feels both fresh and familiar.
Spotify // Instagram // Bandcamp // Youtube
***
Gemma Gates
Gemma Gates is an Irish-born singer-songwriter currently based in Leeds, UK. With influences from artists like Laura Marling and the Staves, Gemma's songwriting also explores alternative perspectives on the folk traditions of her birthplace with a focus on bold melodies, rich harmonies and personal lyricism.
Being from Ireland, she has always played music, and started off her journey into music playing with various folk bands at venues and festivals across Northumberland. She has now branched out on her own with this solo project, and was one the finalists considered to receive a 'Danny' at the Celtic Connections Festival 2024, where she performed at the DKOS Stage at the Royal Glasgow Concert Hall.
Instagram // Spotify // Live
***
Slip Martin
Slip Martin is the alias of Leeds based multi-instrumentalist George Hall. As a drummer, George has toured all over the world, including with artists such as Leo Stannard, Vipertime and Jasmine Myra. Over lockdown, George turned his attention to songwriting and rediscovered his first musical love - the guitar. Thus, Slip Martin was born.
Working closely with producer Ed Allen, Slip Martin's debut EP ‘Wallflower’ was released in the summer of 2024. Despite being a completely independent artist, an audience was promptly found for Slip Martin, with his debut EP garnering radio play on BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music, BBC Introducing and Amazing Radio. In the 2024, he was long listed for the PRS Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition and his songs have been streamed more than 100K times.
Described by Emily Pilbeam and Christian Carlisle (BBC 6 Music and BBC Introducing) as ‘dreamy alternative-pop’, Slip Martin’s music is sophisticated but accessible and will sit nicely with fans of James Blake, Saya Gray and Bon Iver. His sophomore EP ‘Travelling Somewhere, Distance Unknown’ is scheduled to be released in February 2026 - the first single ‘Underwater’ is out now.
Spotify // Instagram // YouTube
