Fender in Focus: Royal Blood, Mac DeMarco and Future Islands

From late-night and daytime sets to in-studio visits and digital exclusives, Fender in Focus gathers the best of the week's performances from Fender players.

This week: it's Royal Blood, Mac DeMarco, Future Islands and L.A. Witch.

Royal Blood: “I Only Lie When I Love You"

British rock merchants Royal Blood stopped by Conan with the track “I Only Lie When I Love You,” a swaggering single that brought their trademark power to the late-night stage. With Ben Thatcher pounding away on the drums, frontman Mike Kerr delivered a fiery riff from his growling Jaguar Bass.

Mac DeMarco: “One Another"

Mac DeMarco took advantage of Stephen Colbert’s excellent Late Night band – which is led by Jon Batiste – during a performance of “One Another,” a gem from his latest album, This Old Dog. Wielding a Stratocaster, DeMarco seemed to be having fun adding breezy flourished to the chilled-out song.

Future Islands: “Through the Roses"

When Baltimore’s Future Islands ran through Seattle recently, they took the time to do a tight four-song set for local radio station KEXP, pulling out songs from their latest effort, The Far Field. One of those tracks was “Through the Roses,” an emotional single that featured bassist William Cashion holding down the low-end on his well-worn Precision Bass.

L.A. Witch: “Baby in Blue Jeans"

After several years of touring, L.A. Witch finally dropped their self-titled debut album in September of 2017 and earned acclaim with the trio’s brand of desert-tinged garage rock, and they showcased it with an appearance on the Jam in the Van series. Check out their signature sound as frontwoman Sade Sanchez plays her Jazzmaster and bassist Irita Pai rocks a sharp Mustang Bass.