The Unmatched Hospitality Of The Scenic Hotel: The "Best" Bands Have Ever Been Treated By A Venue

The Scenic Hotel is a remarkably fitting name for a pub that overlooks the clouded peaks of Norton Summit. Nestled in emerald greenery, perfectly positioned for a prime view of the setting sun, the place has a golden, serene atmosphere.

People attend The Scenic in droves not only to consume a glass of natural wine alongside a ‘roo loin schnitzel slathered in pepper gravy, but also to see the best that local music in Adelaide has to offer, in a venue that is warm and welcoming.

On September 12, folk artist Naomi Keyte played a gently rapturous show at The Scenic Hotel, followed later that night by emerging folk-art group Wake In Fright. While onstage, Wake In Fright frontman Sam Wilson stated that his band’s experience at The Scenic that night was the “best” that they had ever been treated by a local venue.

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“That’s lovely,” Alistair Wells - part owner of The Scenic, who books artists alongside fellow musician Ben Marwe - said when I mentioned Wilson’s comment to him.

“We’ve always wanted to treat musicians in the venue as we would any other customer,” Wells explains, whose experience playing in ARIA-charting rock band Bad//Dreems has clearly given him insight into just how poorly bands can be treated by certain venues. “Because I’m a musician as well and have toured around a lot,” he is well aware that “the best thing that can ever happen rolling up to a show is being accepted, being made to feel comfortable.”

His approach with bands who play at The Scenic is simple. “You give them some food, you give them something to drink, you look after them.” He adds, laughing good-naturedly, “For some reason, some bands think that’s amazing, which is really more of an indictment on how bad the industry is with looking after artists and paying artists.”

Wells explains that playing at venues that are completely “foreign” can be extremely daunting for younger, emerging musicians. “A band like Wake In Fright who’s just starting out, they could be feeling extremely anxious, maybe not feeling in the right mind space, so it’s important to make them feel nice, and then hopefully they’ll come back.”

One way, it seems, that The Scenic has managed to nurture a milieu that is centred around music enjoyment and appreciation and not merely consumption of alcohol is that the live gigs the venue hosts all happen to be free. “It’s a good way to get people out, to realise how interesting a live music setting can be.”

Wells is clearly passionate about fostering a supportive, encouraging environment for artists - and, in particular, believes that musicians should be properly compensated for their work. “That’s what should be a bigger part of the conversation - raising fees for artists and just paying people correctly for how much joy they can bring to someone either stumbling into a venue or someone who is there because they enjoy their music.”

The Scenic has apparently never had “a major problem” when it comes to pub-goers potentially consuming too much alcohol and becoming rowdy during shows. “At the Scenic Hotel, it’s an interesting space because we do more gigs that are really quite targeted at a smaller audience of people, so I think when people come to see more alternative bands, there’s an understanding that they are there for the music,” he says. 

“However,” he adds, on the topic of alcohol consumption, “it’s a huge part of the music industry. I've suffered from alcohol problems and substance abuse problems, and it’s something that is always intrinsically linked together with music and performing because of the anxiety aspect of it.”

Social awareness and an emphasis on mental wellbeing and community appears to permeate the entirety of The Scenic Hotel’s business model. It is noteworthy for example, that the Hotel is staunch in their refusal to set up any pokies on site. A caption from one of their official Instagram posts reads, “Support local art where you can, blow up the pokies.”

Wells mentions a separate social enterprise that The Scenic helps run, called the Topsoil Garden Project, which is directed by Jay Marinis. Described as a “transformative nature-based therapy experience,” the Topsoil Garden Project aims to revolutionise health care and support those in the community suffering from mental illness or disabilities. Sessions are held at the garden space of The Scenic Hotel on days when the pub itself is not open.

Such a project exemplifies the values of the Scenic Hotel. Their commitment to health, safety, care, and healing is crucial to their business model. 

Ali concludes that, ultimately, it is all interconnected for him and the rest of management. “The music part is just the same way we do everything else.”