The Long Losts at the Red Party at Mercury Lounge

In 2008, a man whose arm is a tattoo tribute to Boris Karloff, including a portrait of Frankenstein's monster on his forearm, was introduced to a woman wearing a t-shirt with a picture of Frankenstein. This mutual affinity for classic horror movies led the New York-based guitarist, Patrick McGowan, and vocalist, Anka, into a relationship. In 2012, Anka announced that she was relocating to Prague in the Czech Republic; Patrick was concerned that he would lose her forever and so proposed marriage to Anka in a cemetery. Now engaged, they started a romantic gothic punk duo, the Long Losts. The first song they wrote together was a tribute to their favorite horror actor, a song entitled "If Only Boris Karloff Was My Dad." The Long Losts' second and most recent album, To Night…, was released on October 1, 2017.

This month's Red Party at Mercury Lounge featured several djs and a live set by the Long Losts. Shortly after midnight, Anka sang and Patrick played guitar, with other programmed music completing the duo's wall of electronic sound. Many of the song's spooky lyrics were tongue-in-cheek tales of darkness and romance. Anka, who was seven months pregnant, sang the light, haunting melodies and occasional blood-chilling shrieks, and Patrick added punch with live hard rocking guitar leads. This was the ideal music for long, romantic graveyard strolls on cold misty nights, and it worked pretty well for the Red Party's gothic and darkwave clientele.

Visit the Long Losts at www.thelonglosts.com.