Air Guitar World Championships 2025: Where Legends Are Loud, But Guitars Are Invisible

21 August 2025 rocknews

Forget strings. Forget amps. Forget reality. The Air Guitar World Championships 2025 have landed in Oulu, Finland, and the riffs are so hot they’re melting the Arctic Circle. From August 20–22, the world’s most flamboyant fretless warriors are battling for glory, peace, and the sacred Flying Finn trophy — all without touching a single instrument.

This isn’t just a competition. It’s a cosmic collision of charisma, choreography, and chaos. Thirteen nations have sent their finest air shredders to the stage, each armed with nothing but imagination and the raw power of rock.

Piers Burnell: The UK’s Secret Weapon at the Air Guitar World Championships 2025

Representing the United Kingdom is Piers Burnell, a learning support assistant from Henley-on-Thames who moonlights as James Bond Double Air Seven. His performance is a cinematic explosion of spy swagger and rock rebellion, featuring a mashup of John Barry’s “007,” a Spanish rendition of Sheryl Crow’s “Tomorrow Never Dies,” and a thunderous blast of Guns N’ Roses’ “Live and Let Die.”

“It’s about being the world’s greatest rock star for one minute,” Burnell told RockNews. “No strings attached — literally.”

Burnell’s act is part MI6, part Mick Jagger, and all heart. His students back home have embraced air guitar as a confidence booster, and rumor has it he’s learning blues harmonica to bring real strings into his arsenal. But for now, it’s all about the air.

Meet the Global Contenders at the Air Guitar World Championships 2025

The international lineup is a kaleidoscope of stage names, alter egos, and pure theatrical insanity:

🇧🇪 Belgium: LeOnFire (Lèon Ostrowsky) — pyro-powered panache.
🇨🇦 Canada: Danasaurus Rex (Dana Schiemann) — prehistoric punk precision.
🇫🇮 Finland: Don Corni Leone (Veli-Pekka Ristaniemi) — mafia metal madness.
🇫🇷 France: Medusa (Justine Betems) — mythic moves and serpentine solos.
🇩🇪 Germany: Van Airhoven (Patrick Culek) — baroque shred meets brutal riffs.
🇯🇵 Japan: SUDO-chan (Yuta Sudo) — kawaii chaos with lightning licks.
🇳🇱 Netherlands: Sven Spandex (Sven Smith) — glam rock revival in stretchy style.
🇺🇸 USA: Six String Sal (Saladin Thomas) — southern soul and stadium swagger.

They’ll face off against reigning champion Ichabod Fame (Zachary Knowles, Canada), plus the top scorers from the infamous Dark Horse qualifying round — where dreams are born and egos are shattered.

Past Champions Who Shaped the Air Guitar World Championships Legacy

The Air Guitar World Championships 2025 stand on the shoulders of giants — invisible, shirtless giants:

Zac Monro (UK) – Two-time champion in 2001 and 2002, known for his minimalist mayhem.
Nanami “Seven Seas” Nagura (Japan) – Triple crown winner in 2014, 2018, and 2023, blending anime energy with rock precision.
Matt “Airistotle” Burns (USA) – Back-to-back wins in 2016 and 2017, the philosopher of fretless fury.

These legends didn’t just play air guitar — they became it.

Why the Air Guitar World Championships 2025 Matter More Than Ever

The championship’s motto — Make Air, Not War — isn’t just a cheeky slogan. It’s a global philosophy. “You can’t hold a gun while you play the air guitar,” say organizers, who believe that shared joy, absurdity, and rhythm can unite the world.

In a time of tension and noise, the Air Guitar World Championships 2025 offer something radical: silence that screams. It’s not about winning. It’s about letting go, rocking out, and believing — even for one minute — that you’re the loudest legend on Earth.