BEDROOM rockers will take centre stage in Ipswich tonight when the first leg of an air guitar championship for Suffolk gets under way in the town. The pass-time, associated with enthusiastic music fans, has taken off in recent years with big competitions taking place in Europe and the USA.
BEDROOM rockers will take centre stage in Ipswich tonight when the first leg of an air guitar championship for Suffolk gets under way in the town.
The pass-time, associated with enthusiastic music fans, has taken off in recent years with big competitions taking place in Europe and the USA.
Now two Suffolk brothers are hoping the art form takes off in East Anglia and have organised a county-wide championship that kicks off in Ipswich tonight.
The Suffolk Air Guitar Legends Championships will be staged at The Manor Ballroom in St Margaret's Green, from 8pm.
It is the brainchild of 36-year-old Carl Baker from Stowmarket and his 39-year-old brother Nick from Ipswich.
Each performer has 90 Seconds to show the audience their skills and at the end of the round the audience will vote for their favourite person to go through to the final.
Mr Baker said: “We came up with the idea at Christmas.
“I'm bored with going to pubs and seeing karaoke or tribute bands so thought it would be good to do something different.
“From an early age I used to like heavy metal and used to go to concerts and pretend I was the artist on stage.
“A lot of people are now starting to realise that air guitar is a big thing and hopefully it takes off in Suffolk.”
It is expected there will be between a dozen and 20 people performing at tonight's event.
Following the Ipswich event the brothers hope to put on similar events at towns across the county.
Are you involved in an unusual past-time? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk
Playing "air guitar" is a form of dance and movement in which the performer pretends to play rock or heavy metal-style electric guitar.
Playing an air guitar usually consists of exaggerated strumming and picking motions and is often coupled with loud singing or lip-synching.
Air guitar started becoming popular among heavy metal fans in the late 1970s.
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