The music industry is all about extremes. While ticket agents can rake in hundreds of pounds per ticket for the biggest pop stars, more than half of the UK’s independent music venues failed to turn a profit in 2025. It’s a dire statistic that understandably has had a knock-on impact on the independent music scene, with 30 venues closing and 6,000 jobs lost across the industry over the course of just one year.
That’s why, over the past few months, The Independent has teamed up with the Music Venue Trust to relaunch the Main Stage programme to highlight the work of the country’s grassroots venues. We’re covering eight venues from across the UK, talking to the people in charge about the importance of these spaces and what they need to stay afloat.
Each venue featured in the Main Stage series will be the subject of an article in The Independent, and receive £5,000 worth of ad inventory, along with design assets for them to use in their comms and marketing to highlight that they're a Main Stage venue.
For this week’s entry, The Independent is boarding a ferry to the Orkney isles; specifically, to port town of Kirkwall, where nightclub-cum-music-venue Rapture sits. This fledgling venue may have only opened last summer, but it’s quickly become one of the most exciting – and talked about – venues in the area.
With the metal beams and brickwork befitting the disused warehouse complex once on the site, Rapture runs a top-tier sound system, allowing it to host live music events throughout the year, while also giving the island’s young adults somewhere to dance at the weekends. “We don't have the population in Orkney to allow us to focus on a specific genre or age group, so we have to programme a wide range of music that will appeal to as many people as possible,” operator Neil Stevenson tells The Independent.
The Independent: Tell us about Rapture; how would you describe the venue to someone who’s never visited?
Rapture opened in July 2025 as part of a redevelopment of a disused warehouse complex in the centre of Kirkwall, where it sits alongside a family entertainment centre and a walled garden with four food and coffee kiosks. We’ve kept the industrial feel of the warehouse, with new metal and wood fixtures complementing the existing brickwork and beams. Rapture is over two levels, with the main dance floor and a large bar downstairs, and a smaller bar with booth seating upstairs
The Independent: What are some of the biggest challenges the venue is up against?
A music venue on an island immediately has much higher running costs compared to those on the mainland. That started before we even opened, with freight and delivery costs for materials, fixtures and fittings, etc. When it comes to booking acts, the distance involved and travel costs can be prohibitive, particularly for flights. Luckily, we have a good relationship with Pentland Ferries, so that can help when it comes to bringing bands to Orkney.
Since I was last involved in this scene, a lot of venues on mainland Scotland have closed, so the network of stepping stones that allowed bands to programme a highlands and islands tour on their way to us has vanished. There’s always the challenge of getting people to take a risk on buying tickets for acts they don't know, which can mean missing out on the chance to see a musician on your doorstep just before their career really takes off. I brought Biffy Clyro to Orkney in 2004 and only 70 people came to the gig – within a couple of years, they were doing arena tours.
The Independent: What’s on the cards for the future?
We have a winter break coming up in January, when we will be doing a mini revamp, to make the space work better for gigs. Now that we have been open for a year and had a number of visiting musicians, word is starting to get out about Rapture, so we hope that this helps us to continue programming a variety of acts. We also have plans for a Battle of the Bands competition, focusing on original compositions, to support local musicians and songwriting.
The Independent: What makes running a music venue like Rapture worthwhile?
Going to hear live music is such a good night out and the majority of people are up for having a great time, so there is such a buzz in Rapture when we put on gigs. There was no equivalent sized venue in Orkney, so we’ve filled a gap in the market and given local bands an opportunity to play in a purpose-built venue. Geography shouldn't be a barrier to accessing the best live music, so it makes me happy to give music fans in Orkney a venue where they can have a brilliant time without the expense of travelling to the Scottish mainland.
The Independent: Tell us about one of your favourite recent gigs at the venue.
We recently had a gig with Big Country, which is a band I have been wanting to bring to Orkney for some time. It was on the day of the Scotland v Morocco world cup match, so we did a combined ticket for the gig and the football. We dressed the venue with flags and bunting, so it helped bring out the patriotic spirit in the audience. The atmosphere was electric and it was an amazing gig. The football result didn't go how we hoped, but it was still a fantastic night, and good to see how we can use Rapture for different types of events.
