So Download Festival is just under 1 week away and we know it’s always so hard to pick who you go to see. There’s always so many news bands to check out along side some of your favourites at Download Festival and we figure if we give you a bit of a preview of each and let them introduce themselves to you, it may make your planning easier.
Birmingham based five piece Cytota basically formed at a Fightstar gig. It’s clear these British lads have good taste in music from that alone, but they can list a host of influences from the world of rock and beyond. They also cite bands from around the world as their influences, not just British based. They’re musically knowledgable and it’s clear to see. Here they are to tell you more.
Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Harry and I play drums in Cytota!
How did you get started?
Our singer Joby and I met on Halloween 2009 at a Fightstar gig. We’d both been looking into starting something more than a garage band. Then very soon after that night we recruited some good friends from school, being Youssef and Ollie! A couple of years later Ryan joined and we became a five-piece! We’ve basically grown up together.
What stage and day are you playing at Download Festival?
We are playing on Sunday, 11:40am on the Red Bull Stage! Come down and help us start the last day off right.
What’s the best thing about playing Download Festival?
The fact you’re playing alongside some incredible bands. For instance, being able to say you’re on the same bill as Linkin Park is pretty crazy. It’s also a great opportunity for people to discover new bands they otherwise wouldn’t have gone to see live. It just allows you as a band to really showcase what you’re about.
Who are you most looking forward to seeing play at Download?
Bring Me The Horizon, Killswitch Engage, Suicide Silence, Linkin Park, While She Sleeps, Upon a Burning Body and Zoax.
Have you got any surprises in store for you Download set?
We’ll put 110% into this show, and do the best we can to surprise and impress people who have come to see what we’re all about. Like I said, Download is a real showcase, people expect you to put everything into it to win them over, and that’s what we plan on doing.
What’s your best festival memory either personally attending as a fan or in the band? And what’s your advice to all the festival goers?
I remember once watching Atreyu at a festival one year, I was about 13 or 14 and had recently really gotten into them. Knew every word and even got to meet Brandon their drummer after! Proper fan boy moment. Also seeing Blink 182 when they came back at Reading in 2009 was pretty mental, such a great atmosphere.
This is your chance to have your say to make people come see your set at Download.
It’s our heaviest set yet. Our most exciting. We have been tweaking and tightening it up to be perfect for Download.
The band are on the 4th stage, The Red Bull Studio Stage on Saturday at 11.40am.
