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At the age of 10, I discovered a feature in my local paper about the Air Guitar World Championships, which take place every year in my native city of Oulu, Finland. My family had volunteered at the inaugural contest since 1996 – my mother distributed flyers, my father sorted the music. Since then, domestic competitions have been organized all across the world, with the champions assembling in Oulu annually.

Back then, I asked my parents if I could compete. At first they were hesitant; the competition was in a bar, and there would be a lot of adults. They thought it might be an intimidating atmosphere, but I was set on it.

As a kid, I was always miming air guitar, pretending to play to the iconic rock tunes with my imaginary instrument. My parents were lovers of music – my father loved Bruce Springsteen and the Irish rock band. the Australian rockers was the first band I discovered on my own. Angus Young, the guitar hero, was my idol.

As I took the stage, I did my routine to the band's Whole Lotta Rosie. The spectators started chanting “Angus”, reminiscent of the live recording, and it dawned on me: this is what it feels like to be a guitar hero. I made it to the finals, performing to hundreds of people in the public plaza, and I was addicted. I was dubbed “Little Angus” that day.

After that I stopped. I was a judge one year, and started the show on another occasion, but I didn’t compete. I came back at 18, tested out several stage names, but everyone still referred to me as “Little Angus” so I decided to own it and choose “The Angus” as my artist name. I’ve qualified for the last round each competition since then, and in 2023 I came second, so I was set to win this year.

The worldwide group is like a close-knit group. Our motto is ‘Play air guitar, avoid battles’. It sounds silly, but it’s a real philosophy.

The contest is competitive but uplifting. Competitors have a short window to deliver maximum effort – dynamic presence, perfect mime, stage magnetism – on an imaginary instrument. Adjudicators score you on a point range from a specific numeric range. In the case of a tie, there’s an “tiebreaker” between the last two competitors: a track is selected and you improvise.

Getting ready is key. I chose an the band Avenged Sevenfold song for my performance. I had it on repeat for weeks. I practiced flexibility, trying to get my limbs loose enough to leap, my digits fast enough to mimic solos and my back set for those gestures and hops. When competition day dawned, I could feel the song in my bones.

When the show concluded, the results were tallied, and I had drawn with the titleholder from Japan, the Japanese titleholder – it was time for an tiebreaker. We competed directly to that classic rock anthem by the iconic band. Once the track began, I felt comforted because it was familiar to me, and more than anything I was so excited to play again. Once the results were read I’d emerged victorious, the square went wild.

It's all a bit fuzzy. I think I zoned out from the excitement. Then all present started singing Neil Young’s Rockin’ in the Free World and hoisted me on to their arms. One of the greats – also known as his stage name – a past winner and one of my closest friends, was embracing me. I cried. I was the first Finnish air guitar world champion in two and a half decades. The earlier winner from Finland, Markus “Black Raven” Vainionpää, was there, too. He bestowed upon me the most heartfelt squeeze and said it was “about damn time”.

The air guitar community is like a support system. Our motto is “Make air, not war”. It may seem humorous, but it’s a real philosophy. Participants come from globally, and everyone is helpful and motivating. Before you go on stage, every competitor offers an embrace. Then for 60 seconds you’re able to be free, humorous, the biggest rock star in the world.

I’m also a percussionist and string player in a band with my brother called the band name, inspired by Gareth Southgate, as we’re influenced by UK rock and post-punk. I’ve been working in bars for a couple of years, and I create mini movies and performance clips. The title hasn’t affected my daily activities drastically but I’ve been doing a lot of press, and I hope it brings more creative work. The city will be a designated cultural center the coming year, so there are great prospects.

For now, I’m just grateful: for the group, for the ability to compete, and for that budding enthusiast who read an article and thought, “That's for me.”