The first single from the upcoming "Songs for the Swung" - available to order now. 

https://kentonhallthenecessarymeasures.bandcamp.com/

Kenton Hall: Guitars, Organ, Percussion, Vocals
Brett Richardson: Bass, Backing Vocals
Mark Haynes: Drums, Percussion
Salpier: Grand Piano
Marion Fleetwood: Strings & Backing Vocals
JJ Lovegrove: Backing Vocals
Amy Dx: Backing Vocals
Scarlet Hall: Backing Vocals
Danny Willson: Backing Vocals
Chris Conway: Backing Vocals

Produced by Kenton Hall, Chris Ilett & Brett Richardson
Mixed by Chris Ilett
Mastered by Brett Richardson


Coming September 30, 2024

The Sun Shone Down/Good At What I Do

The Sun Shone Down

The second side of the new Double A-Side single from the forthcoming "Songs for the Swung".

Kenton Hall: Guitar, Piano, Vocals
Chris Ilett: Guitars
Brett Richardson: Bass
Mark Haynes: Drums, Percussion
Egor Remmer - Trombone
Lev Borovskyi - Trumpet

https://kentonhallthenecessarymeasures.bandcamp.com/

Good At What I Do

' Holly Says' is from the upcoming album 'Songs for the Swung' 
Pre-order here: https://kentonhallthenecessarymeasures.bandcamp.com

Kenton Hall: Guitars, Bass, Vocals
Chris Ilett: Guitars
Mark Haynes: Drums

Produced by Kenton Hall, Chris Ilett & Brett Richardson
Mixed by Chris Ilett
Mastered by Brett Richardson

Holly Says

20 years, ist lost its first bass player, Mark 'Detroit' Robbins. In honour of his memory, the remaining members of that first line-up - Kenton Hall, Chris Ilett and Mark Haynes reformed to record a song from that era that had somehow slipped through the cracks. 

We were joined by friends of the band Phillip Eldridge-Smith and Paul Swannell and the result is 'All That Nerve'.  

All That Nerve

"A Story That You Tell" is from the forthcoming album "Songs for the Swung". 

https://kentonhallthenecessarymeasures.bandcamp.com/

A Story That You Tell

From the forthcoming album "Songs for the Swung"

https://kentonhallthenecessarymeasures.bandcamp.com/album/songs-for-the-swung

Kenton Hall: Guitars, Bass, Vocals, Kalimba
Paul Swannell: Piano, Organ
Mark Haynes: Drums

Make Her Proud

From the forthcoming album 'Songs for the Swung' - https://kentonhallthenecessarymeasures.bandcamp.com/album/songs-for-the-swung

Heart Enough

Lyrics by Kenton Hall
Music by Kenton Hall & Chris Ilett

From the album Idiopath (2023): 
https://kentonhallthenecessarymeasures.bandcamp.com/album/idiopath

Let’s keep it simple, just for once
You never gave a damn about my eloquence
I haven't half as much to say as I pretend
Mostly, I just lie awake and think of you
My friend

Let's keep it simple, if we must
If I am still enough, will that inspire your trust?
I keep expectations, low as I can bear
But I cling onto hope as fiercely as I dare

Keep it simple

Cause it’s not your fault
That I'm still falling,
Turning somersaults
To keep from calling you
Keep it simple

Let's keep it simple, if we can
I’ll neither press my suit, nor iron out my plans
But if by any chance, that last line made you smile
Forgive me if I lie awake and picture that awhile.

Keep it simple
Keep it simple
Keep it simple
Keep it simple

Kenton Hall: Guitars, Bass, Vocals
Chris Ilett: Piano, Programming

Keep It Simple

Today's throwback track is 'Maybe' from Idiopath. 

https://kentonhallthenecessarymeasures.bandcamp.com/album/idiopath

She burst through the door like someone had committed a crime
I cursed my luck and then leapt to the obvious rhyme
But maybe
Just maybe

I slide from my chair before courage sees fit to depart
My moves are legion, my patter is state-of-the-art
And maybe
Just maybe

Maybe she doesn’t hear shit like that all of the time
Maybe I’ll say something clever that changes her mind
Maybe

She enters a room, full of predators coiled to strike
I move through the crowd like I’ve just fallen off of my bike
But maybe
Just maybe

Maybe she’ll see that I’m not like of the rest of these guys
Maybe I want her, but I’m still prepared to play nice
Maybe

Maybe we’ll make it and grow old together
Joined at the hip in a single endeavour
Her frame draped in cotton, when it’s not in leather
A blade dulled until these ties cannot be severed

I grab her shoulder and unpack her deepest desires
My grip is tighter than she’d like, or I realise
But maybe
Just maybe

She stumbles back and I grind to a disinclined halt
Her friend lands a punch and cautions against counter assault
But maybe
Just maybe

Maybe I’ll come to my senses and turn on my heel
Maybe I won’t tear a strip off what I tried to steal
Maybe
Just maybe
Maybe
Just maybe

Kenton Hall: Guitars, Bass, Keyboards, Vocals
Brett Richardson: Guitars
Mark Haynes: Drums

Maybe


Lyrics by Kenton Hall
Music by Kenton Hall, Mark Haynes & Brett Richardson

https://kentonhallthenecessarymeasures.bandcamp.com/album/omniopath

He burst through the door like someone had committed a crime
(Yeah)
I cursed my luck and then leapt to the obvious rhyme
But maybe
Just maybe

I slide from my chair before courage sees fit to depart
My moves are legion, my patter is state-of-the-art
And maybe
Just maybe

Maybe he doesn’t hear shit like that all of the time
Maybe I’ll say something clever that changes his mind
Maybe

His eyes scan the room, full of predators coiled to strike
I move through the crowd like I’ve just fallen off of my bike
But maybe
Just maybe

Maybe he’ll see that I’m not like of the rest of the girls
Maybe I want him, but I’m still prepared to play nice
Maybe

Maybe we’ll make it and grow old together
Joined at the hip in a single endeavour
His frame draped in cotton, when it’s not in leather
A blade dulled until these ties cannot be severed

I grab his shoulder and unpack his deepest desires
(Hey)
(Yeah)
My grip is tighter than he’d like, or I realise
But maybe
Just maybe

He stumbles back, and I grind to a disinclined halt
His friend lands a punch and cautions against counter assault
But maybe
Just maybe

Maybe I’ll come to my senses and turn on my heel
Maybe I won’t tear a strip off what I couldn't steal
Maybe


Findley Webster: Vocals, Arrangement
Shotty 4-F: Synths, Programming

Maybe (Findley Webster Version)

'Before You' from the new forthcoming album "Songs for the Swung" 

Kenton Hall: Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
Steve Horry: Guitars, Bass, Keys, Percussion, Drums

Produced by Steve Horry & Kenton Hall
Mixed by Steve Horry 

I never meant
To make your world less innocent
We were so young
And I was all fingers and thumbs
I'd never been loved before you

You stuck around
To keep my feet on solid ground
Worried I
Might break a leg or lose an eye
The way I would have before you 

I was at odds with my own history
You whispered words of might and mystery
The tourniquet is tied
Now make a fist for me
Cause you can't live free
If you're afraid to bleed

It ended well
A story we both lived to tell
Albeit I
Am petrified to close my eyes
And dream of myself before you

Before You

From the forthcoming "Songs for the Swung" 

Kenton Hall: Guitars, Vocals, Percussion, Sci-Fi Organ
Brett Richardson: Bass, Theremin, Backing Vocals
Mark Haynes: Drums, Timpani
Paul Swannell: Piano and Hammond Organ
Marion Fleetwood: Strings 
Eli Mine: Harpsichord
Maxim Turev: Balalaika 


Mixed by Chris Ilett


Hello and welcome to the New World Order
Coat check’s on the right and the khazi’s round the corner
We pride ourselves on tending to your every need
But if you want to see us at our best
Show us your greed

Not that you have anything to hide
But you're under our protection once you step inside
We'll spin that dodgy deal into a feint
It's not a whitewash, it's just a little lick of paint

You see that fucker with the tape recorder
Sniffing around our local heavy arms importer
He's about to learn just what we charge for peace
But if he asks, then you're my niece

Not that I have anything to hide
There's nothing nasty lurking on my mother's side
She was an angel and my father was a saint
It's not a whitewash, it's just a little lick of paint

Naked power is a little on the nose
So we wear robes

They say we're privileged members of a secretive elite
And anyone who crosses us goes swimming in concrete
That's not necessarily without a grain of truth
But it's more about the leather 
and the Mickey Finn vermouth

Not that we have anything to hide
But we'd like to see you live without what we provide
A spit and polish job from tip to taint 
It's not a whitewash, it's just a little lick of paint

We will see you right
We dote upon our acolytes
But should you let us down
We'll put you in the ground

Lick Of Paint

From Idiopath: 
https://kentonhallthenecessarymeasures.bandcamp.com/album/idiopath

Lyrics by Kenton Hall
Music by Kenton Hall & Brett Richardson

Franklin was a drifter
Cause he was shit with money
Carried a guitar case full of laundry
Couldn’t carry a tune
Hannah was a waitress
From the land of milk and honey
But she took her coffee black and let her sting dull too soon

Charter members of the rank and file
Lining that crowded stretch called Mediocre Mile
Mediocre Mile

Frank’s father told him whisky
Would make him manly, would put hair on his chest
So he dates a lot of barmaids
And his torso looks just like a sweater vest
Hannah's mother warned her about men like Franklin
Time and time again
But Hannah had a weak spot for the way a bastard bothers to pretend

Charter members of the rank and file
Lining that crowded stretch called Mediocre Mile
Mediocre Mile

Wasn’t a romance was for the ages
The sex was hardly worth the sweat
A coffee stain on history’s pages
A night they were both willing to forget

Franklin was a drifter
Cause he was good for nothing
Carried contraceptives in their wallet
Till they left a faded ring
Hannah didn’t bother calling
She assumed that he was bluffing
When he told her he’d be back this way come the spring

Charter members of the rank and file
Lining that crowded stretch called Mediocre Mile

Kenton Hall: Guitars, Bass, Keyboards, Percussion, Programming, Vocals


Mediocre Mile

'Lick of Paint' is the next single from the forthcoming 'Songs for the Swung' 

Featuring: 
Kenton Hall: Guitars, Organ, Percussion, Vocals
Brett Richardson: Bass, Theremin 
Mark Haynes: Drums, Timpani

With: 

Marion Fleetwood: Strings
Paul Swannell: Piano
Maxim Turev: Balalaika
Eli Mine: Harpsichord

Produced by Kenton Hall, Chris Ilett & Brett Richardson
Mixed by Chris Ilett 
Mastered by Brett Richardson

Pre-Order

Lick of Paint (Radio Edit)

From the forthcoming album 'Songs for the Swung' 

Kenton Hall: Guitars, Percussion, Vocals
Brett Richardson: Bass
Mark Haynes: Drums
Paul Swannell: Piano and Organ



What She's About To Do

A late addition to the Songs for the Swung catalogue... And The Horse You Rode In On features: 

Kenton Hall: Guitar, Organ, Vocals
Scarlet Hall: Backing Vocals
Brett Richardson: Guitars, Bass, Equine Wrangler
Mark Haynes: Drums

Produced by Brett Richardson & Kenton Hall

And The Horse You Rode In On

Lyrics by Kenton Hall
Music by Kenton Hall, Marion Fleetwood & Chris Ilett


How do you get someone out of your head
If they’ve been drunk or mad enough to share your bed
Is there a book I'm supposed to have read
That explains it all?

Should I stride down the street with a confident gait?
With my heart set to stone and my tongue to berate?
Puffed up with pride and relying on fate
To cushion my fall

Cause I know that I'm just as dumb as a brick
Cause I'm too old to be feeling this dizzy and sick
And I know I might have made a damned fool of myself
But darling you helped

How do you get someone out of your heart
When the ending’s commenced before anything starts
Is there a way we can skip to the part
Where this all makes sense?

Cause I know that I'm just as dumb as a brick
Cause I'm too old to be feeling this dizzy and sick
And I know I might have made a damned fool of myself
But darling you helped

Am I making this harder, than it needs to be?
I could play it much smarter
But that wouldn’t be me.

Oh and I know that I'm just as dumb as a brick
And I'm too old to be feeling this dizzy and sick
And I know I might have made a damned fool of myself
But darling you helped

Oh and I know that I'm just as dumb as a brick
Cause I'm too old to be feeling this dizzy and sick
And I know I might have made a damned fool of myself
But darling you helped
Darling you helped.
credits


from Idiopath, released January 31, 2023
Kenton Hall: Guitars, Bass, Piano, Vocals
Marion Fleetwood: Strings
Chris Ilett: Programming

https://kentonhallthenecessarymeasures.bandcamp.com/

Dumb As A Brick

Lyrics by Kenton Hall
Music by Kenton Hall, Marion Fleetwood & Chris Ilett

How do you get someone out of your head
If they’ve been drunk or mad enough to share your bed
Is there a book I'm supposed to have read
That explains it all?

Should I stride down the street with a confident gait?
With my heart set to stone and my tongue to berate?
Puffed up with pride and relying on fate
To cushion my fall

Cause I know that I'm just as dumb as a brick
Cause I'm too old to be feeling this dizzy and sick
And I know I might have made a damned fool of myself
But darling you helped

How do you get someone out of your heart
When the ending’s commenced before anything starts
Is there a way we can skip to the part
Where this all makes sense?

Cause I know that I'm just as dumb as a brick
Cause I'm too old to be feeling this dizzy and sick
And I know I might have made a damned fool of myself
But darling you helped

Am I making this harder, than it needs to be?
I could play it much smarter
But that wouldn’t be me.

Oh and I know that I'm just as dumb as a brick
And I'm too old to be feeling this dizzy and sick
And I know I might have made a damned fool of myself
But darling you helped

Oh and I know that I'm just as dumb as a brick
Cause I'm too old to be feeling this dizzy and sick
And I know I might have made a damned fool of myself
But darling you helped
Darling you helped.

from Omniopath, released January 31, 2023
Marion Fleetwood: Strings, Guitars, Instruments, Vocals
Tali Trow: Piano, Bass

Dumb As A Brick (Marion Fleetwood Version)

From the Wrong Dimension Productions Audio Drama 'Twilight Meridian' 

Written by Kenton Hall

Kenton Hall: Guitar, Vocal, Fingersnaps
Salpier: Piano
Fermin Suarez: Bass
Mark Haynes: Drums

Produced by Kenton Hall, Ryan Corle & Brett Richardson
Mixed and Mastered by Brett Richardson

When we are young and shadows start to fall
We know exactly who we're meant to call
We know which arms will wrap around us tight
And carry us towards the light

Time marches on my dear and all is change
And we must source our kindness from the strange
We seek out other arms to hold us tight 
And carry us towards the light

Once there were monsters underneath the bed
Now they lie beside us while we rest our heads

Now come the autumn when the sun swings low
When winter winds are lining up to blow
May we find arms prepared to hold us tight
And carry us towards the light






















Towards The Light


Written by Kenton Hall

Juliette Angeli: Vocals
Salpier: Piano
Fermin Suarez: Bass
Mark Haynes: Drums

Produced by Kenton Hall & Ryan Corle
Mixed by Josh Switzer
Mastered by Brett Richardson

When we are young and shadows start to fall
We know exactly who we're meant to call
We know which arms will wrap around us tight
And carry us towards the light

Time marches on my dear and all is change
And we must source our kindness from the strange
We seek out other arms to hold us tight 
And carry us towards the light

Once there were monsters underneath the bed
Now they lie beside us while we rest our heads

Now come the autumn when the sun swings low
When winter winds are lining up to blow
May we find arms prepared to hold us tight
And carry us towards the light


The closing track from the forthcoming ‘Songs for the Swung’ 

Kenton Hall: Guitars, Vocals, Percussion
Salpier: Piano
Fermin Suarez: Double Bass
Paul Swannell: Hammond Organ and String Arrangement
Marion Fleetwood: Violin, Viola and Cello
Dima Faustov - Clarinet
Lev Borovskiy - Trumpet and Trombone

And, obviously…

Mark ‘Flash’ Haynes: Drums

From ‘Songs for the Swung’ - http://kentonhallthenecessarymeasures.bandcamp.com

Produced by Kenton Hall, Chris Ilett and Brett Richardson

‘Strangely’ mixed and masted by Brett Richardson

Strangely, I’m Feeling Much Better

Have You Heard This One?

I'd Know You Anywhere

Canadian songwriter, actor and author, adrift in the UK.

Kenton Hall & The Necessary Measures is the solo project (with very necessary guests) of Kenton Hall - Canadian songwriter, author and film director, formerly of the band ist. He is also the author of Bisection, a comic memoir of living and parenting with bipolar disorder, the writer/director of the feature film "A Dozen Summers" and co-wrote the 10-Part Audible drama Getting Better, starring Rhod Gilbert, Kathryn Drysdale, Neve McIntosh and Mark Gatiss.

Monkey Basket is a music and film label, responsible for ist's acclaimed Toothpick Bridge, the feature film "A Dozen Summers" (now streaming on Netflix) and the three-part Kenton Hall & The Necessary Measures release for 2022: The album Idiopath, the companion album Omnipath (all 36 songs from the Idiopath sessions reinterpreted by other artists) due for release late 2022 and Videopath, a feature-length music video anthology which will launch in 2023.

Kenton Hall & The Necessary Measures

Pinned to spotlight

Popular tracks