Alternative rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Dan Sultan is bringing his new kids’ album to HOTA on Saturday October 5! At the ARIA Music Awards in 2010, he won Best Male Artist and Best Blues and Roots Album for his second album, Get Out While You Can. At the 2014 ceremony, he won Best Rock Album for Blackbird, which had reached number four on the ARIA Albums Chart. In 2017, Dan’s record Killer was nominated for three ARIA awards: Best Male Artist, Best Rock Album and Best Independent Release.

Nali & Friends is Dan’s first full-length kids’ album but he is no stranger to the genre – having previously collaborated with children’s music icons The Wiggles and Play School. During a trip to Uganda with The Thin Green Line Wildlife rangers, Dan and Rhys had the opportunity to get up close with baby animals and observe their quirky personalities. This resulted in a new album bursting with playful, upbeat songs interwoven with heart-warming stories about growing up, protecting our natural world and learning to accept difference.

The album’s narrative arc follows the journey of hero character Nali, a baby Arctic bird with a crooked wing, who loses her way flying from the North to the South Pole. Along the way she meets different animals from all around the world, from the jungles of Uganda to the highlands of Borneo and the deserts of Australia. During the show, young audiences are introduced to a cast of colourful characters, including giraffes who think they’re elephants, blobfish who just want to rock’n’roll, easily frightened frill-necked lizards and flatulent baby gorillas. Nali and her new pals learn about friendship, kindness and how to care for the world around us.