Charity 'noise' appeals to locals

A lot of noise emanated from Western Springs yesterday but, with a line-up of the hottest artists in New Zealand music, for once the local residents didn't seem to mind.

Musicians including P-Money, Scribe, The D4, and Salmonella Dub thrilled a music-hungry crowd of about 7000 at the tsunami relief appeal concert Live at the Springs.

The artists performed for free to help raise money for the Red Cross and Unicef to use in recovery efforts in areas such as Aceh, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

In a bid to stop a repeat of the fracas over the noise of the Western Hills speedway, concert organisers employed the cunning tactic of inviting local residents in for free.

"Obviously it's a pretty sensitive venue in terms of noise so we needed to make sure we had them on side," concert spokesman Patrick Fife said. "I think a couple of hundred came, and we needed their support to make it happen."

He hoped the Vodafone-sponsored event would raise about $100,000.