Miss Atomic Bomb

Believe it or not, the Miss Atomic Bomb pageant was a very real thing in ‘50s Nevada, when the US government’s above-ground nuclear testing was treated like a spectator sport, and organisers of nuclear bomb-themed parties and picnics needed a pretty young thing to help them entertain their guests. The story was just too kitsch for Las Vegas boy Brandon Flowers to pass up, partly because it inspired him to resurrect the characters from Hot Fuss classic ‘Mr. Brightside’ and party because the blasted (sorry!) thing really does write itself. ‘The dust cloud has settled, and my eyes are clear,’ he pines, ‘But sometimes in dreams of impact I still hear Miss Atomic Bomb’. Granted, it’s a little on the nose, but by gum, is it going to sound terrific pumping out of some stadium speakers, accompanied by a myriad of flashing, neon lights.