The singer told Pollstar although she’s off to Europe after next weekend, she plans to keep her eyes open for some festivals to play Stateside this summer.

Of course any conversation with Siouxsie has to include a discussion of her illustrious past. The singer said when she hit the stage at the 100 Club Punk Festival in 1976 with a twisted version of the Lord’s Prayer she had no idea what kind of journey she was starting.

“I guess I had some musical aspirations. I think I’ve always thought about wanting to perform in some way. I had no idea how, because I had no training of any sort. I certainly wasn’t qualified in that way, which made it such a perfect time for it to rely on just instinct and doing it yourself.

“I think performers – it’s like any artist – I think you have something there to start off with. And I think anyone that is trained, usually, unless there is that – I don’t know, I don’t want to call it a talent – but an ability or a feeling for whatever they choose, then I think there’s always something lacking with a performance that comes from someone that’s just trained. I think they have to have a natural feeling for it. And that’s something you can’t really learn. You have to have it or not.

“I think most artists are searching for something, searching for that connection with other people. And searching for an outlet for their frustrations or their anger. You know the great thing about music is it does express almost what’s intangible and hard to express just by talking. And it tends to be an outlet for the whole range of emotions, not just the easily discerned.”

Siouxsie said the free-for-all atmosphere of the London music scene in her early days made the experience that much better. She has her doubts about anything like it ever happening again for one reason – the Internet.

“The best thing about then was there was no way of knowing what was going to happen next. I think we just enjoyed the journey and took it as it came.

“It seems to be so much more organized and official now. And I think possibly with the way technology has gone, I think music’s been devalued quite a lot by over-accessibility via the Internet. I think it seems to have less of a – I don’t know – a do or die feeling about it. I think it’s possibly made people lazy.

“I personally can’t understand why people would want to have a record downloaded on their computer. What I grew up with, if I want something, I just want to have it in my hand and actual.”

But what about the argument that the Internet has freed artists from label constraints? Siouxsie thinks that fight helps bands in the long run and points to The Banshees as an example.

“I think maybe it’s made it easier on some levels – that it’s not absolutely necessary that you sign to a major label or anything. But I don’t know, it’s just become more ordinary, seemingly. The struggle of surviving before maybe toughened you up a bit more.

“By the time we were signed, we’d actually got our own audience on our own steam. We couldn’t get signed, so we got our audience and, of course, there were other outlets like John Peel with the radio sessions that we did.

“So when we released our first single, I think it shocked everyone in the industry. We just worked and carried on and got an audience that way. It wasn’t reliant on the industry backing us. It seems now it’s almost like unless you get playlisted, you’re dead. On the radio it just so competitive and all sewn up.”

One thing Siouxsie thinks hasn’t lost any importance is touring.

“That’s something you can’t replace, actually being in a concert. I think live performance has always been important. But that’s what I mean by the music itself has been devalued somewhat.”

So what advice does an artist who’s survived by transforming herself from angry punk to goth goddess to musical elder statesman have for bands trying to make it? Basically two words – have fun.

“I think just go with your instincts as much as possible. And you have to enjoy it. It’s not all fun, but you have to actually enjoy what you’re doing, otherwise it’s pointless.

“I love being on stage and doing the show, but it’s almost like – you know, the traveling isn’t fun and being away from home all the time isn’t so much fun – so it’s almost like I have a fear of it up until the moment that I’m on stage. But once I’m up there, that is what’s the most important thing. And if you didn’t have that, it would be pretty meaningless.”