I Became the Air Guitar International Titleholder
At the age of 10, I discovered a story in my community gazette about the Global Air Guitar Contest, held annually every year in my hometown of Oulu, Finland. Mom and Dad had volunteered at the inaugural contest since 1996 – my mum gave out flyers, my father sorted the music. From that point, country-level contests have been organized globally, with the winners gathering in Oulu each August.
Back then, I requested permission if I could participate. At first they were hesitant; the competition was in a bar, and there would be a lot of adults. They felt it might be an overwhelming atmosphere, but I was set on it.
As a kid, I was always performing air guitar, acting out to the biggest rock tunes with my make-believe instrument. Mom and Dad were music fans – dad loved Springsteen and the Irish rock band. AC/DC was the original act I stumbled upon myself. the lead guitarist, the lead guitarist, was my idol.
When I stepped on stage, I played my set to AC/DC’s the song Whole Lotta Rosie. The spectators started yelling “Angus”, similar to the live recording, and it struck me: this is what it feels like to be a music icon. I reached the championship, competing to hundreds of people in the town square, and I was captivated. I was dubbed “Little Angus” that day.
After that I stopped. I was a adjudicator one year, and kicked off the show once more, but I stayed out of the contest. I came back at 18, experimented with various stage names, but everyone still referred to me as “Little Angus” so I decided to own it and make “The Angus” as my performance alias. I’ve qualified for the last round annually from 2022 onward, and in 2023 I was the runner-up, so I was resolved to win this year.
The air guitar community is like a close-knit group. The saying we live by is ‘Play air guitar, avoid battles’. It sounds silly, but it’s a real philosophy.
The contest is intense but joyful. Contestants have 60 seconds to give everything – high-powered performance, flawless imitation, rock star charisma – on an imaginary instrument. Judges evaluate you on a point range from a specific numeric range. If scores are equal, there’s an “tiebreaker” between the remaining participants: a song plays and you improvise.
Training is crucial. I picked an Avenged Sevenfold song for my routine. I played it repeatedly for multiple weeks. I stretched constantly, trying to get my lower body loose enough to jump, my hands fast enough to mimic solos and my upper body prepared for those gestures and hops. By the time the event dawned, I could sense the music in my being.
When the show concluded, the results were tallied, and I had drawn with the titleholder from Japan, Yuta “Sudo-chan” Sudo – it was time for an tiebreaker. We went head-to-head to the Guns N’ Roses hit by Guns N’ Roses. Once the track began, I felt comforted because it was one that I knew, and primarily I was so eager to perform one more time. Once the results were read I’d emerged victorious, the area went wild.
The moment is hazy. I think I zoned out from surprise. Then everyone started chanting Neil Young’s Rockin’ in the Free World and hoisted me on to their backs. One of the greats – alias his stage name – a previous titleholder and one of my closest friends, was hugging me. I cried. I was the inaugural from Finland air guitar world champion in two and a half decades. The earlier winner from Finland, the former champion, was also present. He bestowed upon me the biggest hug and said it was “about damn time”.
This worldwide group is like a family. The phrase we live by is “Focus on fun, not fighting”. Though it appears comical, but it’s a genuine belief. Participants come from many countries, and each person is helpful and motivating. Prior to performing, all participants comes and hugs you. Then for a brief period you’re free to be yourself, humorous, the top performer in the world.
Besides that, I'm a percussionist and guitarist in a musical act with my sibling called the band name, named after the sports figure, as we’re influenced by UK rock and post-punk. I’ve been working in bars for a couple of years, and I direct mini movies and performance clips. The victory hasn’t affected my daily activities drastically but I’ve been doing a many interviews, and I aspire it leads to more creative work. My hometown will be a cultural hub next year, so there are exciting things ahead.
For now, I’m just grateful: for the group, for the chance to perform, and for that little kid who read an article and thought, “That's for me.”
