Shirley Manson is an icon. If you didn’t know it already that’s official now, she has a brass middle finger to stick on the mantelpiece to prove it. Last week (14 February), in front of a room full of old pals and “some old enemies” at the VO5 NME Awards in London, Garbage’s frontwoman collected the Icon award from Savages’ Jehnny Beth.

The following day, before she returned to her home in America, we recorded this conversation. Some artists three decades into their career are tired and jaded – Shirley Manson on the other hand, like so many of us, is full of frustration, positive anger, purpose, conviction and, above all, action. She refuses to be one of life’s passengers, and that’s why she continues to be inspiring.

There are some weighty issues discussed here, including gender inequality, Trump, the BRITs’ approach to the Time’s Up and MeToo movements and all-female festival bills. But there was also time for Shirley to tell a cracking Mark E. Smith story, share her admiration for M.I.A (and her recent documentary film) and discuss her future plans.

There are lots of archive episodes of Midnight Chats to dive into – including conversations with Fischerspooner, Gwenno, Shame, Craig David, Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Mac DeMarco, Laura Marling, Ryan Adams and loads of others.

And if you like what you hear, subscribe to Midnight Chats on iTunes, Acast or wherever you get your podcasts.