Finally another Finnish Air Guitar World Champion!
It took 25 years to have the Air Guitar World Champion title has returned to Finland, to its proper home. And it was a so-called “Dark Horse”, Aapo “The Angus” Rautio from Oulu, in a fiercely contested final. The 28th Air Guitar World Championships on August 22 at Oulu’s Rotuari Square was not only extremely exciting, there were happy tears afterwards …
… not only the winner cried but also the author of this report, watching the drama via live-stream. Because she had seen The Angus contesting many times, he had been part of the event since age 10, first time in the finals in 2010 and in 2023, again as Dark Horse, he won the second place. Now finally he became World Champion!
But it was nerve-wrecking until the very last moment – maybe as nail-biting as watching F1! The championship was decided only after an “Air Off”, as the two competitors were tied after two rounds. In the decisive extra round, Rautio edged ahead by just 0.1 points (!), securing the victory for Finland. The second place went to the national champion Yuta Sudo “Sudo-chan” from Japan. Besides winning the well-deserved title, Aapo also received a unique hand-made Flying Finn guitar, made by Matti and Saara Nevalainen.
The Angus competed with 32 air guitarists from 13 nations, the 2024 champion Zachary ”Ichabod Fame” Knowles from Canada, the national champions from Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, the UK, Japan Canada and the USA, plus the other Dark Horses from Sweden, Norway, Taiwan and New Zealand.
Dark Horses
As mentioned above, “The Angus” secured his spot in the finals – as he did the first time in 2010 – only via the Dark Horses Qualification. This event is happening every year one day before the finals at Bar 45 and only the top 7 make it to the Air Guitar World Championship finals (see lists below). This year 30 people competed as Dark Horses and naturally it was the candidate from New Zealand who drew special attention, not only because the longest trip to Finland: Tyler Brailey alias Air Guityle had chosen an Alien Weaponry track for his performance.
And another contestant deserves attention, probably holding the attendance record, according to our archive since at least 2004 – 2010 national Air Guitar Champion and maybe he should receive special honors by now: Eero Ojala – Oulun Oma Poika, Finland
The results:
1. Aapo Rautio – The Angus, Finland 34,8 + 17,6
2. Yuta Sudo – Sudo-chan, Japan 34,8 + 17,5
3. Apolline Andreys – Lady Attila, France 34,4
4. Patrick Culek – Van Airhoven, Germany 34,3
5. Zachary Knowles – Ichabod Fame, Canada 33,7
6. Saladin Thomas – Six String Sal, USA 33,4
7. Lèon Ostrowsky – Leonfire, Belgium 33,1
8. Dana Schiemann – Danasaurus Rex, Canada 32,7
Audience favourite this year was Lèon Ostrowsky – Leonfire, Belgium, who received a real – as in inflatable – air guitar.
In case you want to experience all the drama yourselves, here a recording of the AGWC finals live stream:
Finals event hosts were the Champion of Air Guitar Champions, Justin “Nordic Thunder” Howard from the USA and from Oulu, Asta Salomaa, a producer and media personality, and dance artist Julian Owusu.
A Jury of Performing Arts Professionals
Air guitar performances are entertaining yet carefully crafted 60-second acts, blending elements from dance, theatre, and other art forms. The jury evaluates the performances on technical and artistic merit, as well as their “airness.” In 2025, the panel brings together extensive experience from across the performing arts.
– Juha Torvinen, Head of the jury since the very beginning of the Air Guitar World Championships in 1996, Juha Torvinen has missed the event only once – when he was playing a stadium gig with his legendary band Eppu Normaali.
– Heli-Maria Latola, Oulu-based dancer, presence artist, and slowness activist
– Mikko Makkonen, dance artist by profession and a master of dance arts and teaching by education, main choreographer of the Delta Life spectacle. The event will take place during the Oulu August Festivals in 2026, when Oulu is the European Capital of Culture.
– Miss Lumiere, a rising drag star of the new generation, who eg. performed before Finland’s largest live audience at Helsinki Olympic Stadium alongside the iconic band PMMP.-
– Sanna Hirvaskari, dance teacher with an impressive competitive background, including both national and international championship titles, now working at the Oulu Culture Foundation
Philosophy of Air Guitar contests
Air guitar playing is not instrumental sports or arts, nor does it require any special venues or skills, so it is accessible to all. Air guitar can be grasped regardless of gender, age, ethnic background, sexual orientation and social status. Air guitar playing is equal. The purpose of the Air Guitar World Championships is to promote world peace – according to the competition ideology, wars will end, climate change will stop and all bad things will vanish when all the people in the world play the air guitar.
The Air Guitar World Championships is organized and held by Airnest Productions Oy and has been part of the Oulu culture scene since 1996.
More info on the AGWC Website
Photo credits: Roosa-Maria Kauppila /Oulu August Festivals
PS: In order to appreciate all those who travel from far, some of them every year, to participate in the competition, here the lists of all the air guitar contestants, in their performance order:
Dark Horses (Name, Stage Name, Country):
1 Annabelle Piery – La Fille en Rouge, France
2 Piers Burnell – Double Air Seven, UK
3 Del-Kun Dave Chen – Iron Age, Taiwan
4 Aapo Rautio – The Angus, Finland
5 Bryan Antoine – Dirty Beaujolais, Belgium
6 Kurt Brown – Shred Lasso, USA/Finland
7 Argo Thompson – Riff Raff, USA
8 Frederic Reau – French Kiss, USA
9 Nicole Sevcik – The Muse, USA
10 Eero Ojala – Oulun Oma Poika, Finland
11 Nemo Verhoeven – Blackout Rider, Belgium
12 Mathilde Dollat – Clitoriff, France
13 Masanari Marushima – St. Muscle, Japan
14 Apolline Andreys – Lady Attila, France
15 Arnaud Picard – FLØKILT, France
16 Heiko Crezelius – ItchenSon, Germany
17 Andrés Rengifo – The Noisy Cricket, Sweden
18 Lloyd Weema – Stonehenge, Sealand
19 Murat Aytemir – Pink Twister, Germany
20 Bruno Van Basselaere – Crispy Panthera, Belgium
21 Heidi Toivio – Pink Passion, Finland
22 Junichi Kamada – JUNJUN, Japan
23 Sandra Berger – ToastAIR Woman, Germany
24 Maria del Mar Gomez-Jordana – Lil Ocean Riffs, Sweden
25 Michael Lovely – OpRock, USA
26 Luke Sevcik – Slam Cabbage, USA/ peace flag
27 Noah Schlechtweg – DAVE, Germany
28 Cole Lindbergh – Slappy Nutz, USA
29 Kiana Holmes – Kiki Pink, USA
30 Tyler Brailey – Air Guityler, New Zealand
Dark Horse Event host: Jani Kortti
Dark Horse Jury:
– Ville Muikkula, radio host from Radio Kaleva
– Johanna Latvamäki, a museum researcher at the Oulu Museum and Science Centre
– Salla Väinämö, administrative secretary and producer at the Student Theatre of Oulu
– Markus Lampela, a professional children’s musician from the Soiva Siili band
– Kyösti Salmijärvi, a professional children’s musician from the Soiva Siili band
The finals, all contestants:
DARK HORSES
1 Heidi Toivio – Pink Passion, Finland
2 Luke Sevcik – Slam Cabbage, USA/ peace flag
3 Mathilde Dollat – Clitoriff, France
4 Tyler Brailey – Air Guityler, New Zealand
5 Aapo Rautio – The Angus, Finland
6 Kiana Holmes – Kiki Pink, USA
7 Apolline Andreys – Lady Attila, France
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS & World Champion
8 Zachary Knowles – Ichabod Fame, Canada, World Champion 2024
9 Veli-Pekka Ristaniemi – Sunny Corny Leone, Finland
10 Sven Smith – Sven Spandex, Netherlands
11 Saladin Thomas – Six String Sal, USA
12 Lèon Ostrowsky – Leonfire, Belgium
13 Dana Schiemann – Danasaurus Rex, Canada
14 Yuta Sudo – Sudo-chan, Japan
15 Patrick Culek – Van Airhoven, Germany
16 Justine Betems – Medusa, France
