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A Question of Firsts – Athene Roberts

Apr 13, 2026

Athene Roberts is a performer and composer with her own colourful and energetic style of playing. Her musical compositions draw influences from many styles of music, and have been used on BBC documentaries, independent films and theatre shows.

She has frequently been invited onstage by the Levellers to perform the ‘fiddle-off’ with Jon Sevink, as a solo performer with Mark Chadwick, and has been the leader of the Urban Gypsy Orchestra for the People’s String Foundation. Athene has played violin on many studio albums, most notably recording on a single for Hawkwind. She can also be seen in the Hollywood blockbuster movie “Tulip Fever”.

Most know and love her as the energetic violinist with the 3 Daft Monkeys

“Many of my tunes have emerged whilst walking the rugged coast paths and beaches of Cornwall, inspired by the freedom and wild energy of the sea and wind. My style of playing reflects the unconventional musical path that I have followed so far. I was beguiled by the violin at the age of 4, and started playing using a tiny ‘sixteenth’ violin that was an ornament on a friend’s wall. Having studied classical violin and piano, played in orchestras, and played bass guitar in a glam rock band at 15, I was drawn to the more ‘alternative’ side of life. I discovered a completely new approach to music around the colourful campfires of the road protest camps at Fairmile, where I was inspired by the Eastern European and the Yiddish Klezmer tunes I learnt there.

On joining the quirky and innovative cult underground festival band Doo The Moog for a short while, the strange and colourful world of touring, festivals and improvisation drew me in and I was hooked. I then became part of the original line-up of the festival “diddly-dub” collective “Headmix”, with whom I toured around Holland, Germany and Czech Republic. It was in Holland that I met Tim Ashton, and soon joined his psychedelic punk band Moondragon and their folky alter-ego Lordryk.

When the band disbanded, Tim and I decided to follow a nomadic lifestyle, travelling around Europe in an old purple Dodge van as street entertainers, working with circuses, theatre companies and meeting musicians from all around the world, and sharing tunes and stories with them. We soon began to write our own songs using tales and tunes we had picked up on our adventures, and on return to Cornwall, formed 3 Daft Monkeys.

Managing and writing for 3DM gave Tim and I the freedom to fully express ourselves musically, whilst maintaining the traveling lifestyle we had grown to love, and we soon became one of the hardest-working touring acts in the country. We’ve written 9 albums together over the years, and undertaken many musical projects and workshops, worked with schools, theatre companies, dancers and choirs. We now tour with our home-educated son Arlo, who has added a wonderful chaos to the fun of life on the road.

From an early age, I have moved and danced with my fiddle, and I love working with local costume designers to create unusual dresses with a theatrical edge, which I hope add another element to our live shows. I just can’t seem to stand still.

Luckily we managed to pin this energetic and hard working performer down for long enough to ask if she would reveal a few of her ‘firsts’ for us. So buckle up, here are Athene Robert’s, Question of Firsts.

FIRST RECORD YOU EVER BOUGHT

Adam and the Ants, Kings of the Wild Frontier. My brother and I learnt all the lyrics, drummed along on the tables, it blew our 10 yr old minds!

Here they are on Top of the Pops in 1981

FIRST PERSON WHO MADE YOU WANT TO BE A MUSICIAN

I went to see an orchestra at a sports centre in Northampton at the age of 4, and was absolutely spellbound by the violins. I knew immediately that I wanted to play and my parents managed to find me free lessons with a neighbour. I never looked back.

I absolutely loved playing classical music, but when I heard a CD of Itzhak Perlman playing Klezmer music I was transfixed. It drew me to a new world in my favourite minor keys, steeped in passion and emotion.

Here he is playing a piece you might recognise:

FIRST GIG YOU EVER SAW

Madness at the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton. I was about 13, and my parents dropped me off with my friend Lucy as they thought it was a seated gig. But in our naivety we decided to go to the “dancing space” at the front. It was absolutely insane, we were surrounded by punks and skinheads, and every time we were dragged down, someone would pull us back up again by our shoulders.

This sowed the seeds of my love of live music. I spent most of my teenage years going to as many gigs as I could, travelling all over the UK, and getting the overnight train home. I think I’ve seen almost every rock band from the 80s and 90s.

I absolutely love going to live gigs of all genres, or out to experience theatre and circus, that’s why festivals are just one of my favourite places to be. You’ll find me dancing somewhere at any time of day or night!

FIRST PERSON YOU FELL IN LOVE WITH

It would have to be Captain James T Kirk of the Starship Enterprise. I’ve always been a sucker for sparkly eyes and a cheeky grin!

(seconded !)

FIRST THING YOU THINK ABOUT IN THE MORNING

My son, Arlo. I’m still so blown away that I finally became a mum, that even 13 years since he was born, I still wake up excited to see him every morning.

(Aww, lucky boy)

FIRST PERSON YOU’D INVITE TO A PARTY

Stewart Lee. (below) I love his twisted wit, and honesty.

FIRST THING YOU’LL BUY WHEN YOU MAKE YOUR FIRST MILLION

I love to swim, and my idea of heaven would be to buy a small cottage or cabin overlooking the sea, so I can dip or strike out on the coast path whenever I possibly can. Sitting still is not my thing, but I think I’d chill out more if I could stare at the ever-changing light on the sea.

Oh and a small recording studio in the garden too. It would be so wonderful to be able to create music with Tim in a relaxed fashion, as we normally have an intense time frame and a very limited budget. And I write all my best songs when I’m out in nature.

And some showman’s caravans in the garden so our friends and family can come and stay, we love having people around us. I may need more than a million at this rate if I want to stay in Cornwall!

(Think people would be queuing up for that privilege, you may need some crowd control)

FIRST THING YOU’LL ABOLISH WHEN YOU RULE THE WORLD

Greed.

(We’ll second that)

FIRST ALBUM YOU’D SAVE IF YOUR HOUSE WENT UP IN FLAMES

The Black Parade, My Chemical Romance on white vinyl. I’ve grown to absolutely love this album through Arlo, and it’s his first vinyl that we bought him for Christmas. The imagery and storytelling in the album are spine-tingling. We’re all going to see them at Wembley Stadium in July and I’m beyond excited.

FIRST PERSON YOU’D SEND ON A ONE-WAY TICKET TO THE HEART OF THE SUN

It’s a choice between Scrappy Doo and Donald Trump, I think he’d like to go there to top up his tan.

(There is no way we are uploading a picture of the second individual in that answer so …. )

FIRST THING YOU EVER PERFORMED IN PUBLIC

At school I performed my violin grade 8 violin piece Czardas at a school concert. I was so terrified I shook from head to toe.

I feel sick just looking at all those notes! Bravo!

At 15 I formed a glam rock band called La Rage (French for rabies) where I played bass guitar and keyboard and sang backing vocals. We used to play songs by Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, Metallica etc in pubs and village halls. Again, I was terrified before every gig, which is why it’s so crazy that I somehow ended up performing as my vocation!

(We’re so pleased you did !)

FIRST SONG YOU’D HAVE PLAYED AT YOUR FUNERAL

Shine Like a Star by Aswad turned up loud and preferably outdoors by a fire or the sea. Something uplifting, to make everyone feel better.

I don’t understand how in our culture we have to sit in rows in silence and try not to cry. I’d rather people danced, wailed, laughed and hugged each other.

FIRST INSTRUMENT YOU EVER OWNED

I started playing fiddle when I was 4 years old, when a friend of my parents lent me a tiny sixteenth violin that was hanging on her wall. It was only 14 inches long, such a cute little thing.

FIRST PERSON YOU’D RAISE FROM THE DEAD

Martyn Bennett, he was a musical genius, taken from us way too soon. He really was turning the Scottish music scene upside down with clever, intuitive and playful mixture of folk music and dance vibes.

Oh and could he bring my friend Jen Jen back with him too, we all miss her so much.

‘Grief is the price we pay for love’ – Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022)

FIRST PLACE YOU’D VISIT IN A TIME MACHINE

I’d love to experience Ancient Rome, to observe their rituals and culture. We visited Rome a few years ago and the scale and age of the ancient architecture blew me away, steeped in stories and full of characters. I’d love to see the place come to life in full Technicolor.

FIRST TRACK ON YOUR APPLE MUSIC OR SPOTIFY MOST PLAYED LIST

Chase and Status, Blind Faith is top of my running playlist. Talisk, Dystopia 2 is next on the list. And third is Pendulum, Fasten your Seatbelt. I do love high energy music, especially when I’m working out.

FIRST TRACK ON YOUR IMAGINARY ALBUM OF YOUR OWN GREATEST HITS

It would have to be Days of the Dance. Even though we wrote the song over 15 years ago, it gets the audience bouncing every time. I love the bizarre story of the dancing plague of Strasbourg, it creates an eerie ecstatic vibe.

(Totally agree!)

FIRST PERSON YOU’D ASK TO JOIN YOUR ALL-STAR BAND

Sometimes for big gigs we take a string section with us, Jen and Elowen. Instead of a ‘famous’ person, I’d love to be able to earn enough to take them with us all the time. There’s nothing like 3 violins playing harmonies together, it always gives me goosebumps, plus it would be so lovely to have a couple of fellow females on tour.

FIRST THING YOU’D LIKE TO CHANGE ABOUT YOURSELF

I’d love to be able to control my external emotions. I literally have no ability to hold in the tears, and I cry at absolutely anything that brings up emotions, which can sometimes be pretty embarrassing. One of the reasons we don’t play our slower emotional songs in the 3 Daft Monkeys set is that we never know if I’ll be able to get through it without my eyes leaking! It’s not necessarily sadness, I can be overwhelmed with happiness, love or even empathy.

(don’t ever change, its that same passion that drives you!)

FIRST ARTIST YOU’D BOOK TO APPEAR AT YOUR OWN UNLIMITED BUDGET FESTIVAL

I wouldn’t book any famous acts.. they’ve had their good fortune. Instead I would use my unlimited budget to book the bands that really deserve it. All the incredible independent festival acts like us that have worked the scene so hard for so many years on a tiny budget. Bands like Sheelanagig, The Trouble Notes*, The Destroyers, The Moulettes, Mad Dog McCrea. Imagine giving them the opportunity to play in front of a massive audience with a huge light and production team. They would be awesome. And the wages from just one gig would be life-changing for them too.

Few of Spiral’s favourites there!

ANY OTHER FIRSTS YOU WANT TO OFFLOAD, TO UNBURDON YOUR CONCIENCE?

I rode my first hyper coaster last year.. Hyperia at Thorpe Park. I did it for Arlo, and I gently sobbed all the way up the lift hill. The vertical drop was so crazy I didn’t even scream (which is very unusual for me!). And then I went on it again!!

The Scream – Edvard Munch

*A Mother’s love knows no bounds* – Margaret Denham

What a great Mum!

We would like to thank Athene so very much for taking the time to complete our Spiral Firsts, especially as 3 Daft Monkeys are busy preparing for a short double headline tour with The Trouble Notes* – a genre-blending powerhouse who’ve become international favourites for their dynamic performances and cinematic folk fusions. Their roots span three continents -American violinist Bennet Cerven, German guitarist Florian Eisenschmidt, and Australian drummer Julian Lardis – they embody the global spirit of modern folk.

Having toured across 35+ countries and graced the stages of Glastonbury, Boomtown, Green Gathering, and more, The Trouble Notes deliver a rollercoaster of sound: rich in emotion, packed with rhythm, and rooted in storytelling. They’ve supported legends like Jethro Tull, Rodrigo y Gabriela, and America, and their second studio album Liberty Awaits was hailed as: