The Funeral Portrait Release 3 Live Videos from "Live From Suffocate City" Album (Reaction)

After grinding for well over a decade now, The Funeral Portrait has finally begun getting the credit they deserve — following the release of their second full-length album, Greetings from Suffocate City, on September 13, 2024, Atlanta's emo-rock dignitaries have quickly gained tons of attention on rock radio, earning three chart-topping singles in just over a year ("Suffocate City" (ft. Spencer Charnas) in November 2024, "Holy Water" (ft. Ivan Moody) in June 2025, and "Dark Thoughts" in January 2026. Having gone three for three with their appearances on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, they've found themselves amongst the likes of 3 Doors Down and The Pretty Reckless as part of a select group of artists to have achieved such a streak.

However, The Funeral Portrait's success hasn't been solely contained to the studio— the band has also experienced exponential success on the road over the last year and a half. After a successful opening spot on one of the biggest summer tours of 2024, featuring Five Finger Death Punch, Marilyn Manson, and Slaughter to Prevail, The Funeral Portrait has maintained a rigorous yet rewarding live schedule, continuously sprinkling their own headlining devotion ceremonies on off-days while opening for bands like Ice Nine Kills, The Used, In This Moment, and many others. Festival crowds in both the US and Europe have been extremely kind to them as well.

The Funeral Portrait has begun an annual tradition in the form of a headlining set in their hometown of Atlanta, GA, featuring guests on stage dressed as the Icons that appear on their cover art, lively production aspects from confetti to cryo blasts, and a crowd full of die-hard fans with such a contagiously upbeat energy. The first annual "Suffocate City Town Hall Meeting" took place in Atlanta's legendary Masquerade venue on November 17, 2024, and was released in the form of a live album entitled Live from Suffocate City earlier this year. With the setlist containing several cuts from Greetings, along with some old fan-favorite singles like "Casanova" and "The Crash," this live release does an amazing job at not only showcasing the band's musical talent, but also their rising stardom and adoration of their fanbase.

Personally, I'm a fan of live albums, but I always prefer when there's a visual element because it feels like you're only getting half the experience when you simply listen to live audio. When there's a DVD or some sort of video component, it's so much more fun to enjoy because you can see the stage production, see the excitement of the crowd, and it sometimes even takes you back to your own experience of seeing the band in concert. Thankfully, The Funeral Portrait have released three live videos to further promote the live album over the past month, with the video for "Blood Mother" releasing on February 13, "Alien" on February 27, and "Holy Water" today, March 13.

With nine camera operators for this show, these live videos easily check all the boxes — any possible angle you can think of can be seen over the course of these videos, and the videographers are impressively hidden from view a lot of the time. I always enjoy looking for photographers and videographers when I see a live video or photos from a concert on Instagram, but even when I'm actively searching for them in these videos, I often have a difficult time finding any of them. It's important for us photographers to be invisible anyway, so bravo to these folks for doing just that, even while there are likely several cameras unintentionally pointing towards them.

A pet peeve of mine with some live DVDs has to do with the way they're edited, in the sense that it sometimes feels like the editor switches between shots too fast and it can be hard to see what's going on in each clip. While there may be an artistic point behind that, I always appreciate when each shot has room to breathe and the viewer doesn't feel like they're racing the time between cuts, and these videos are a great example of what I mean by having visual breathing room. It doesn't come at the expense of the energy and excitement of the music either, it's just nice to be able to take the show in without only having a few frames before the next cut.

Another great visual aspect is the variety of camera movements and techniques — it's easy for us photographer/videographers to rely on a gimbal or steadicam for that smooth movement look, but when it comes to live music, there's something special about also having the imperfect handheld feel. Both of those styles are seen in these videos, and they blend together very nicely. Even the static shots fit perfectly — most of the shots have some sort of movement to them, whether they're clearly handheld or a little more smooth, but the static ones are placed at the right times for impactful moments.

Additionally, these live videos excel from an audio standpoint — we've all been to shows in which the vocalist is buried in the mix or one instrument is louder than the others, but everything is perfectly balanced here. Lee Jennings' voice cuts through the music without blatantly overpowering it, and the rhythm section is firmly felt in the foundation of each song. The backing vocals and auxiliary instrumentation from Caleb Freihaut and harsh vocals from guitarist Cody Weissinger help bring each song to life on stage in the same fashion that they did in the studio, and while it's impossible to have a perfect live performance that completely replicates the studio recording, this live album comes pretty close. What it may not have in terms of studio perfection, it makes up for it with how passionate the performance is.

The best part of the audio mixing is the inclusion of the audience. Just like how the camera shows the reactions from the crowd and even places the viewer in the middle of it, it's also clear to hear the audience throughout each video, not just at the beginning and end of each song. The listener can hear the crowd singing along, cheering after big moments in the middle of the songs, and participating when Jennings interacts with them. "Blood Mother" is a great example of the crowd participation, but I'm also biased when it comes to "Alien" — it's been my favorite song by The Funeral Portrait since it was first released as a single in early 2023, and this live performance is especially incredible because it's easy to both hear and feel how much that song means to several people in the audience as well. They're seen singing along, some fans even teared up, and the band had no problem feeding off of that energy.

Whether it's an emotional track like "Alien" or a rocker anthem like "Holy Water," these live videos put The Funeral Portrait's live talent on display, while also showing just how strong their bond is with their audience. I've personally had the pleasure of seeing The Funeral Portrait three different times — once as an opener for Marilyn Manson in a mid-sized theater, once at a distillery that doubled as a live venue, and once at a festival with a crowd as far as the eyes can see — and I can confirm that they bring the same level of energy and excitement regardless of the size of the show. Seeing videos from this hometown show only makes me want to go see them again, so I can't imagine what kind of an impact it makes for those who still have yet to see them.

Thankfully, there are several chances for fans to see The Funeral Portrait live this year, with the band currently supporting Three Days Grace and I Prevail on the "Alienation" Tour all through 2026. They've also added in a few headlining dates, along with a few festival appearances in the US and Europe this summer. For all tour dates and to buy tickets, click here.

Buy/stream Live from Suffocate City here.