Air guitar player gears up for world championships

Piers Burnell Mr Burnell also performed at the championships last year under the name Sober Man

A contestant at the Air Guitar World Championships 2025 has described taking part as "a chance to be the world's greatest rock star for one minute only".

Piers Burnell who lives in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, said he would be "the sole UK representative" at the 29th annual event in Oulu, Finland, between 20-22 August.

He will be performing edited versions of three James Bond songs - John Barry's 007, a Spanish version of Sheryl Crow's Tomorrow Never Dies and Guns N' Roses's Live and Let Die, originally written by Paul McCartney and Wings.

Mr Burnell, who is a secondary school learning support assistant, also plays air guitar with his students which he said "is great for their confidence".

For this year's festival, Mr Burnell is performing as James Bond Double Air Seven

"Imagine a real guitar and take it away and play it with enthusiasm - you can't break it, you can't drop it," he said.

"Everyone can play air guitar, it's just letting yourself go, being in the moment with the music."

Mr Burnell also performed at the championships last year, under the name Sober Man.

"I am an advocate for those living an alcohol-free life and can enjoy the weird and wonderful without the need for alcohol," he said.

"I travelled to Finland alone, not knowing anyone or really anything about this community, fairly nervous but absolutely loved it."

He said this he would be performing as James Bond Double Air Seven.

He is currently learning to play the blues harmonica and said he would love to one day learn to play real guitar.

"A lot of the airheads in real life actually do play instruments, so it's their way of kind of letting loose, and it doesn't matter if they play a bum note because no one can hear it."

He added that he was getting his students "enthused" about air guitar.

"A lot of them understand the humour behind it and it's great for their confidence," he said.

"They can play any track they want and there's no pressure... everyone's on your side by just by having music playing in the background.

"They enjoy it and keep spreading the [official motto of the Air Guitar World Championships] moto: 'Make air, not war.'"

Mr Burnell said to play air guitar, one has to be "in the moment with the music"