Comedian to represent the nation at the world championships<\/p>\n
Sam Nicoresti is to represent the UK at the World Air Guitar Championships.<\/p>\n
The comedian will be flying to the final in Finland in August after winning the national title at the weekend, where she performed under the stage name Airlo Guv\u2019na.<\/p>\n
She saw off competition from the likes of Francis Lightningheart, the \u2018unofficial official air Guitarist\u2019 of The Darkness; Sven Smith, who got to the semi-finals of Britain\u2019s Got Talent with his air guitaring; Emma Newcombe, who holds a Guinness World Record for high-altitude obstacle racing; and former three-time UK Air Guitar Champion \u00a0Guy \u2018The Bandit\u2019 Thompson.<\/p>\n
Nicoresti \u2013 who performed Van Halen\u2019s Eruption, considered one of the trickiest guitar solos of all time \u2013 \u00a0said: \u2018It will be the honour of my life to represent my people on the world stage. I have been practising for this day ever since I first heard the opening bars to Whole Lotta Love as a highly intelligent child.<\/p>\n
\u2018To have taken home the trophy in my first year of competing feels surreal. I am floored. I rock for trans rights and a free Palestine.\u2019<\/p>\n
She reports sustaining a small neck injury during her performance but says she expects to make a full recovery in time for the final.<\/p>\n
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In taking the title, Nicoresti becomes the first – and quite possibly the last – person ever to win both the main Edinburgh Comedy Award and the UK Air Guitar title in the same year.<\/p>\n
The eclectic judging panel at the UK championship \u2013\u00a0the first to be held in this country since 2019 \u2013 included former British Olympic gold medallist figure skater Robin Cousins<\/a>, the inventor of the \u2018Roborecorder\u2019, the press counsellor for the Finnish Embassy, a professional aerial gymnast, and other air guitar champions.<\/p>\n The Air Guitar World Championships was established in 1996 in Oulu, a city in central Finland that has also been declared this year\u2019s European Capital of Culture.<\/p>\n Nicoresti will head there for the finals on August 26 to 29, after a short visit to the Fringe revisiting her award-winning show Baby Doomer (at the Pleasance Courtyard on August 15-19), her previous show Cancel Anti Wokeflake Snow Culture at Shedinburgh on August 16, and a work-in progress at Monkey Barrel.<\/p>\n In Finland, she will be competing for a custom-made guitar called The Flying Finn on a stage being built over the Oulujoki River especially for the world finals.<\/p>\n The UK Championships were organised this year by Piers Burnell, who has previously competed under the name James Bond Double Air Seven. He said: \u2018Air guitar is about confidence and jumping in at the deep end. The championships are like Eurovision on steroids.\u2019<\/p>\n![\"Nicoresti](\"https:\/\/www.chortle.co.uk\/steveimages\/airguitar2.jpg\"\/)
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