🔗 Share this article

Back when I was 10, I came across a story in my community gazette about the Global Air Guitar Contest, which take place every year in my hometown of Oulu, Finland. My family had helped out at the pioneering contest back in 1996 – my mum distributed flyers, my father organized the music. From that point, domestic competitions have been organized in many nations, with the titleholders converging in Oulu each August.

At the time, I asked my parents if I could compete. Initially they had doubts; the competition was in a bar, and there would be many grown-ups. They felt it might be an intimidating atmosphere, but I was resolved.

As a kid, I was always miming air guitar, acting out to the biggest rock tunes with my invisible instrument. My parents were enthusiasts – my dad loved The Boss and the Irish rock band. AC/DC was the first band I stumbled upon myself. the guitarist, the lead guitarist, was my hero.

As I took the stage, I performed my act to the band's the song Whole Lotta Rosie. The crowd started shouting “Angus”, just like the live recording, and it hit me: this must be to be a rock star. I reached the championship, competing to a large audience in the town square, and I was captivated. I got the nickname “Little Angus” that day.

After that I stopped. I was a adjudicator one year, and opened for the show once more, but I stayed out of the contest. I came back at 18, tried a few different stage names, but people kept calling me “Little Angus” so I decided to own it and adopt “The Angus” as my performance alias. I’ve made it to the final every year since 2022, and in 2023 I placed second, so I was resolved to win this year.

The worldwide group is like a close-knit group. The saying we live by is ‘Play air guitar, avoid battles’. It may seem funny, but it’s a real philosophy.

The event is high-energy yet fun. Contestants have one minute to give everything – high-powered performance, perfect mime, rock star charisma – on an imaginary instrument. Adjudicators score you on a grading system from 4.0 to 6.0. If scores are equal, there’s an “showdown” between the last two competitors: a song plays and you create on the spot.

Preparation is everything. I picked an Avenged Sevenfold song for my act. I played it repeatedly for weeks. I stretched constantly, trying to get my limbs loose enough to leap, my hands nimble enough to imitate guitar parts and my back prepared for those bends and jumps. When the event dawned, I could feel the song in my bones.

Once all acts were done, the scores came in, and I had matched with the Japanese champion, Yuta “Sudo-chan” Sudo – it was occasion for an air-off. We went head-to-head to Sweet Child o’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses. Once the track began, I felt comforted because it was familiar to me, and primarily I was so excited to have another go. As they declared I’d won, the venue exploded.

The moment is hazy. I think I lost consciousness from the excitement. Then the crowd started performing the song that well-known track and lifted me on to their arms. A former champion – also known as Nordic Thunder – a previous titleholder and one of my closest friends, was holding me. I wept. I was the inaugural from Finland air guitar world champion in two and a half decades. The previous Finnish champion, Markus “Black Raven” Vainionpää, was also present. He bestowed upon me the warmest embrace and said it was “about damn time”.

Our global network is like a family. Our motto is “Focus on fun, not fighting”. It sounds silly, but it’s a true way of life. People come from globally, and all involved is positive and uplifting. As you prepare to compete, every competitor offers an embrace. Then for one minute you’re able to be free, humorous, the biggest rock star in the world.

Besides that, I'm a beat keeper and string player in a group with my family member called the band name, inspired by the sports figure, as we’re inspired by British music genres. I’ve been bartending for a few years now, and I produce short films and performance clips. The title hasn’t affected my daily activities significantly but I’ve been doing a lot of press, and I hope it results in more creative work. My hometown will be a European capital of culture the coming year, so there are exciting things ahead.

At present, I’m just appreciative: for the community, for the opportunity to play, and for that little kid who picked up a newspaper and thought, “That's for me.”