They are the most fervent musicians no one has ever heard.
Performers at this year’s Air Guitar World Championships in Finland on Friday tuned up at the Olympics of air guitar for the 27th time, featuring dedicated competitors like “Shred Lasso” and “Guitarantula.”
This year’s challenge began on Wednesday with Airientation in Oulu, nearly 540km north of Helsinki, and was headlined by a class open to veterans and new guitarists alike. The Dark Horses Qualifications followed on Thursday, culminating with the World Championships Final on Friday night with the crowning of Canada’s Zachary “Ichabod Fame” Knowles as the 2024 Air Guitar World Champion.
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It was a tough competition with last year’s World Champion Nanami “Seven Seas” Nagura of Japan and 2022 winner Kirill “Guitarantula” Blumenkrants of France in second and third place respectively.
Among the Dark Horses was Taiwan’s Dave “Iron Age” Chen, who qualified for the final, but finished outside the top 10.
Contestants were judged on the performance of two songs in two separate rounds, each lasting 60 seconds. While passion is a must, a real pick or even a fingerpicking style is optional. Props and costumes are allowed — but backup bands and real instruments are forbidden.
Photo: EPA-EFE
This year’s audience favorite was Mathilde “Clitoriff” Dollat from France with an intense show made all the more dramatic by the heavy rain that drenched the performer and audience alike.
Nagura’s title last year was her third, making her the winningest air guitarist in a competition that dates back to 1996.
The jury must consider a contestant’s “originality, ability to be taken over by the music, stage presence, technical merit, artistic impression and airness” in deciding to award points, the competition’s online rulebook showed.
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The contestant with the highest total cumulative score wins.
In addition to international camaraderie, the tournament also promotes inclusivity.
“Air guitar playing is not instrumental sports or arts, nor does it require any special venues or skills, so it is accessible to all,” the championships’ Web site says. “Air guitar can be grasped regardless of gender, age, ethnic background, sexual orientation and social status. Air guitar playing is equal.”
Do not fret — regardless of the winner, no one’s air guitar gently weeps here. The contest organizers aim to promote world peace with their slogan, “Make Air, Not War.”
“According to the ideology of the competition, wars would end, climate change stop and all bad things disappear, if all the people in the world played the Air Guitar,” the Web site says. “This is why the whole universe is invited to play the Air Guitar for world peace at the end of the competition.”
Additional reporting by staff writer
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