The Funeral Portrait is a band with some remarkable songs dealing with heavy topics and themes. A variety of them discuss mental illness and death, but the crux of their music is oddly… uplifting. I say that in a My Chemical Romance-meets-The Used sort of way (fittingly, TFP has collaborated with the latter band’s frontman, Bert McCracken, in the past). TFP is close-knit with Sarah and the Safe Word, a band I regard quite fondly, as well. So, when I saw that The Funeral Portrait was heading my way, to The Song & Dance in Syracuse, NY, I jumped at the chance to attend their tour leg with my photographer and partner, Britt Bender (whose photos you’ll see throughout this article). Here’s what we thought about the concert.
It’s not every day that I visit Syracuse, NY, but when I do, it’s for a live show at The Song & Dance. I visited the Song & Dance last for Will Wood‘s Slouching Through Bethlehem tour leg there. The venue wasn’t especially ideal for one reason or another, but Will’s show was spectacularly cool.
But this isn’t about Slouching Through Bethlehem or Will Wood. I came to The Song & Dance to see The Funeral Portrait and the three bands opening for them. Those bands were, in order, Glasswaves, ARCHERS, and The Rasmus.
Opening Act #1: Glasswaves
Glasswaves is a band from Rochester, NY, our very neck of the woods. We appreciated their heavy sound and the boisterous level of showmanship this band presented. As far as vibes, Glasswaves is surely a band for fans of Bad Omens, Bring Me The Horizon, and even Sleep Token.
Britt and I appreciated their set, at least as far as we could hear. The acoustics in the venue were actually kind of rough for the vocalist to enunciate through amid the rest of the band. We could hear his lyrics, but only when the drums, bass, and synths weren’t being played. However, there’s a lot to be said about their energy overall. It set a good tone for the rest of the night’s acts. That energy indicates to me that I should be listening to Glasswaves’ studio work. You can do so below!
Opening Act #2: ARCHERS
ARCHERS was another superbly energetic band. Hailing from Madison, Wisconsin, ARCHERS’ vibes can best be described as “metalcore meets pop-punk”. Their set was lively and gave the audience a real reason to cheer. ARCHERS is a fun band with a sound all their own, to be sure.
The acoustics of The Song & Dance continued to pose a slight problem for ARCHERS, but they made it work. Their performance was very well-received by the crowd, who even sang along at times.
ARCHERS is going on tour in Europe in June, and it’s clear why they’re likely to fill seats across the pond; the band clearly knows what they’re doing melodically. I certainly want to give them more of a chance than the venue afforded them. You should, as well, and so their Spotify information is below.
Opening Set #3: The Rasmus
The Rasmus, is a rock band from Helsinki, Finland. Their inspiration seems to draw from early to mid-oughts rock music like Linkin Park. They even competed in Eurovision in 2022, representing Finland, and placed 21st with 38 points.
The Rasmus’ first song, “First Day of My Life,” felt like a good way to introduce the band to a crowd that felt half unfamiliar with their work and half well-acquainted with it. I also really liked the percussive tone of “In My Life,” their second song. This song was especially lively, and would also have worked as a good overture to their set.
During the second half of their set, the song “October & April” had a heavy, almost somberly slow quality to it. It felt like it cast a slight lull on the tone of the remainder of their set. I’m not sure if this was the quality or tone of the song, the stark departure from the more lively first half of the set, or the lateness of the night by that point, but it didn’t feel quite like what they’d previously delivered.
“Creatures of Chaos,” the song that followed “October & April,” brought a fervent angst back to the performance, but I noticed fewer people were headbanging to the music. By then, I reckon people were really looking forward to The Funeral Portrait’s performance, and so were eager to proceed. With all due respect to The Rasmus, the set was sort of long. Luckily, their final song of the evening, “In The Shadows,” brought the energy back from before to an audience anticipating a great final set.
All this time, a fog machine as slowly pumping out its contents and there was a scent appropriate to this wafting along the airwaves. This was very fitting, for The Funeral Portrait was about to come on and perform their set at last.
Main Act: The Funeral Portrait
The Funeral Portrait, a band from Atlanta, Georgia, has a sound that fans of My Chemical Romance, Ghost, and Motionless in White should greatly appreciate. To say I was blown away by The Funeral Portrait’s set would be a gross understatement. I wasn’t just blown away, but blown apart by it. Some of their songs are devastatingly powerful, and I was here for all of that.
The songs that were among the biggest standouts to me were their second song, “You’re So Ugly When You Cry,” their fourth, “Blood Mother,” and “Generation Psycho”. These are some of The Funeral Portrait’s most popular songs, so these track.
At the end of this concert, TFP performed “Dark Thoughts,” which was a huge delight, “Holy Water,” which played out like a religious sermon (albeit far more engaging), and “Suffocate City.”
“Suffocate City” in particular was wonderful, and frontman Lee Jennings truly delivered on this song even without the feature of Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills to accompany him. By that point, I wouldn’t have expected anything different to come from that song. There were two encores as well, but we will not spoil those for you. Go see The Funeral Portrait live if you can!
Overall, this concert at The Song & Dance was a hugely successful event in my eyes. There were a few acoustics issues in the first couple of acts but by the end of the concert, those were an afterthought. Each band really brought their A-game and delivered on that in a huge way. It was a delight.
A big thanks to The Funeral Portrait’s press managers for facilitating this opportunity! And if you want to listen to TFP for yourself, feel free to listen to them through the Spotify link below!
