Huge Davies' Murder Mixtape

2019 Best Newcomer nominee Huge Davies is back at the Fringe with his second show, Whodunnit – massive wearable keyboard firmly in tow. Taking on the role of determined detective, Huge attempts to solve the murder mystery of the decade, with help from his loyal audience. To get us in the right frame of mind for the task ahead, Huge has expertly compiled the perfect murder mixtape for our listening pleasure.

Bobby Darin – Mack the Knife

A template for all great murder songs. Even Bobby Darin himself did not want to release it as a single, given it's a song about murdering women with a knife. He then had to perform it at every show he ever did and be portrayed by Kevin Spacey in his biopic, a double whammy. My favourite version is by fresh-faced, beaming boy-band Stereo Kicks in an X Factor semi-final to a stadium of screaming teenage girls with Louis Walsh bopping along like an idiot. 

The Jungle Book – Trust In Me

A song about a snake hypnotising a boy so he can eat him, from one of my favourite movies of all time. The casting of Scarlett Johansson in the recent film adaptation was probably because of all the paedophile undertones. Listen. Firstly, women can still be peados. Secondly, it’s nonsense that Scarlett was allowed to play this snake when it’s not even Asian. Thirdly, it’s not a peado song, it’s a murder song. He’s a snake. They love eating jungle boys. It’s classic snake. A horrible misrepresenting of a classic murder song. 

Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody

You’ve killed a man. Shot him in the head in fact. You’ve called you mum and you’re venting at how poor you all are. It goes to show, if you write the best song of all time, the lyrics can really be as bleak and murderous as you’d like them to be. Freddie Mercury. All time great/murder enthusiast.

Foster the People – Pumped Up Kicks 

It’s Reading 2014. You’ve just finished your GCSE’s, you’ve spent £14 on a steak baguette and you’ve taken a piss in a plastic cup. Foster The People come on stage and start telling you to outrun bullets. Why? They’ve taken a gun into a school and are shooting up the place. Don’t be fooled by grainy footage of the band surfing in the music video, this song is 100% about a school shooting. Bleak, tasteless, horrifying but quite catchy. What were they thinking and what were we thinking?

Michael Jackson – Smooth Criminal

The head bopping, moonwalking King of Pop talking about the smoothest of home invasions. The song makes no sense, she’s running about the house, bloodstains on the carpet, he even asks Annie if she’s ok; sounds like an actual nightmare, not smooth at all, would not admit to this, embarrassing. Micheal did though and, in a shocking twist, a surprising relief from the actual stuff Michael Jackson did in his free time. 

Nancy Sinatra – Bang Bang

A girl shoots a boy, bang bang. Sure it’s a pretence and she’s only five, but they’re adults now and the world’s even worse. An awful sound? No. A lovely one. No animated snake, no dancing, no pumping beat. Unless you’re counting the remix by George Floyd spokesman David Guetta, in an unprecedented attack against music.

The Killers – Jenny Was a Friend of Mine

The Killers doing what they do best. Every other song in the Killer’s back catalogue makes almost no sense (literally put on any Killers song and try and figure out what’s going on), so unsurprised that they could sneak in a song about a park murder with almost no one noticing at the time. A long time ago myself and my friends screamed the lyrics back at Brandon Flowers live in 2009 and I’ll be doing it again when I see them in September. A certified banger.

Erik Satie – Gnossiennes

A piece of music from my favourite episode of Poirot, ‘Five Little Pigs’. Mysterious, haunting and beautiful, the song frames a story of murder, tragedy and jealousy in one the best stories from Agatha Christie. Similar to the Aria Da Capo by Bach from the prison escape scene from Silence of the Lambs, the song elicits a strong sense of reflection and horror. Watch ‘Five Little Pigs’ on ITVx, it’s great.

Rage Against the Machine – Killing in the Name Of

Before the grotesque ‘I Love Sausage Rolls’ there was the 2009 Christmas No.1 from rock/rap ensemble Rage Against the Machine. I bought the song three times to make sure it made No.1. Not sure what they’re killing, but they are very angry and having seen this live, I can testify that it was the closest I’ve ever come to being crushed to death. As the song states, they won’t do what you tell them. BBC Radio 5 found out live on air, one of the funniest things and a must-see on YouTube if you've not had the pleasure.