Coldplay and Wolfmother were among the highlights of a concert in Sydney on Saturday (March 14th) which benefited victims of the recent Australian bush fires.

Taylor Swift, Barry Gibb and Olivia Newton John also appeared at the event, while a Sound Relief concert in Melbourne featured Kings of Leon and Kylie Minogue.

Both events were held to raise money for victims of the fires, which claimed the lives of 210 people in the state of Victoria last month.

Coldplay's Chris Martin thanked the crowd at the the Sydney Cricket Ground for “letting us be part of this very special event”.

The singer dived into the audience during the band's set and ran the width of the cricket pitch.

The Sound Relief concert in Melbourne also featured a performance from Midnight Oil, who reformed for the occasion.

The ban, whose frontman Peter Garrett is now Australia's environment minister, last performed together in 2005 in aid of victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami.

(by Jason Gregory)