Live Review: Ella Red + PEGGY @ The Masquerade, Atlanta - February 21st, 2026

Anna Daugherty
23 hours ago
3 min read

Singer with pink hair and red lipstick passionately performing on stage, holding a microphone against a dark background. — Ella Red photo by Anna Daugherty

There is a specific kind of magic in witnessing a full-circle moment. Just one year ago, Ella Red stood on the Altar stage at The Masquerade as an opening act. On February 21, 2026, she returned to that same room to claim her first-ever sold-out headline show, transforming the space into the place to be for anyone who loves upbeat, pop melodies mixed with raw existentialism.

The evening began with PEGGY, a fantasy-pop artist whose set felt like a guided tour through an imaginatively crafted world. Her vocals were strikingly clean, navigating the turbulent highs and lows of life with grace. As a treat for the early arrivals, she performed two unreleased tracks, “Frankenstein” and “Burn the Witch,” both of which leaned into a darker sonic palette that perfectly primed the room for what was to come. Ending on a poignant note, PEGGY delivered an acoustic rendition of her viral hit “ALICE,” dedicated to her late producer, Bram Inscore.

When the house lights finally fell for the headliner, an eerie narration rippled through the venue, pontificating on the nature of reality. The drummer, Wren, provided heavy, rhythmic pulses that synced with strobes, giving the opening a visceral, heartbeat-like energy. That set a theatrical tone that Red maintained throughout the night. Emerging in a princess-like pink dress she crafted herself, she launched into a haunting performance of “Parasite.” Throughout the night, Red’s magnetic voice was only matched by her captivating stage presence, and it was all tied together with the driving live percussion.

The momentum peaked during “Predator” and “Party Animal,” where the whole crowd got jumping and Red abandoned the stage to join the bouncing crowd. Following a percussive breakdown, she modified her outfit into a gown with cape-like features, conjuring the visual of an ethereal goddess for the latter half of the show. This visual shift mirrored a musical one, as she took up her guitar for intimate, acoustic versions of “Aphrodite,” “Cupid,” and “Always the Artist.” Between songs, she shared an Atlanta-unique anecdote about leaving her previous guitar at this very venue during her last visit, making the new instrument a symbol of her return.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou-zbvPHBVQ

Ella Red - It's Not Real

The night’s most communal moment arrived when Red brought PEGGY back out for their collaboration, “ALICE - Red Queen Version.” Their chemistry was palpable, and Red explained the backstory of their relationship: their labels putting them both in a writing camp in which they became great friends. After the strobe-filled performance of “Spider String” and crowd-favorite “Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is,” Red returned for a cinematic encore. After the continuation of the opening narration, Red then launched into the evocative “IT’S NOT REAL” and the high-energy “I Like You Best.”

Ella Red proved that she isn't just a pop act, but a world-building visionary with a true artistic direction for her music and performances.

Catch Ella Red and PEGGY on the Tour's Not Real tour through mid-March. Tickets here