Liam Gallagher instructs Carter-Ruck

Liam Gallagher is suing the Guardian over a bad review.

Yes, that's right. Liam Gallagher has instructed Carter-Ruck to sue The Guardian because its reviewer claimed he'd "unprofessionally" stormed off stage, when - rather - he was merely taking a scheduled break. The paper's review also claimed that Gallagher hadn't returned, when he actually came back on after ten minutes.

(Liam needs a ten minute break during a set? Really? Is this something he feels the need to have more attention drawn to that?)

The paper has already run an apology and a correction:

"In an earlier article 'Liam Gallagher storms out of Oasis gig' published online on 22 July 2009 we wrongly suggested that Liam Gallagher walked out of an Oasis gig and did not return disrupting the set they were performing.

"In fact Liam Gallagher only left the stage whilst his brother sang two songs as is normal during their performance and returned to continue the rest of the set.

"We apologise to Liam Gallagher for this error."

You'd have thought that would be enough, right?

Not so, reveals Press Gazette:

Gallagher claimed it was not issued on agreed terms, and did not provide the vindication to which he was entitled.

Gallagher complained the apology did to refer to paying damages [sic], was not suitably prominent, and was not linked to the website home page but appeared only as a free standing item for about 60 hours.

The writ issued to the High Court claimed Guardian News and Media made no effort to contact Gallagher, or any representative of Oasis, before the story appeared and has since failed to make offer of amends.

Does anyone really expect to see a review before it's published?

James M - to whom, thanks for the story - isn't impressed:

The fact that the Guardian reviewer was guilty of sloppy journalism is accepted by all. However, there's something rather pitiable & pathetic about Gallagher's stance. Moreover, as a commenter on this story points out, the claim that the Guardian story could put people off attending future Oasis gigs is bemusing, seeing as Noel has taken his guitar home with him

It's equally possible that the discovery that Liam spends some time off-stage might make people feel a bit more well-disposed to going to see an Oasis gig.

It's a long way from fighting the mafia in Munich bars to instructing m'learned friends to extract damages for a minor slight.