A little slice of rural Stirling made it all the way on stage Stateside recently – with a much-loved Doune hairdresser even managing a namecheck.
The moment took place at a gig of the star Glasgow band CHVRCHES, who are currently on a worldwide tour across the US, Canada and Australia after enjoying massive success and playing events such as the world-famous Coachella festival in recent years.
The three-piece are led by vocalist and percussionist Lauren Mayberry, who grew up in Thornhill and attended the Beaconhurst school in Bridge of Allan before moving to university in Glasgow.
At their gig in Birmingham, Alabama on July 27, former Doune resident Kit Emslie – who lives in the city – headed along with a sign to try and catch the lead singer’s attention and ended up creating a viral moment which has been captured on Lauren’s Instagram.
During the gig, Lauren notices the sign and stops, before telling the crowd: “This person has a sign saying ‘I’m from Doune’ which is like the village over from the village that I grew up in. My mum still gets her hair cut in the Natural Choice in Doune.”
The pair then reminisce over the stage about mutual friends they shared while at high school in Scotland – with the encounter gathering thousands of views on the CHVRCHES social media pages.
Graeme Morgan, who has owned the Natural Choice salon in Doune for the past 33 years, said: “Lauren’s mum told me that she had given the salon a mention while on stage in Alabama and that the guy who had put it on was from Doune himself.
“The band have done really well and it’s true that her parents travel back an hour to get their hair done here, despite the fact they’ve moved away from the area now.
“She’s a lovely girl and it’s a really nice family and I normally see them about once a month.”
CHVRCHES have become one of the biggest names in Scottish music, with the band picking up nominations at the Brit Awards and NME Awards in recent years, including scooping a 2022 NME Award crown for Best Song by a UK Artist.
“I’ve had messages from different parts of the world through Instagram because of Lauren’s post”, Graeme added.
He said: “It’s been really good with the number of people that have seen it and it’s just amazing the level of interest because of it.”
