Will Eoghan Quigg survive his public flogging?

The father of X Factor star Eoghan Quigg has come out fighting after critics savaged his son’s debut album.

Chris Quigg branded as “snobs” those who have panned young Eoghan’s self-titled record, which has been described by one prominent reviewer as “the worst album in the history of recorded sound”.

And he said he believed his son was doing well in his music career, in spite of his album charting disappointingly in the UK.

When Eoghan first burst onto TV screens last summer, the internet wires were swiftly buzzing with anticipation that the boy from Dungiven in Northern Ireland might go all the way.

Faithfully an army of local fans tuned in to the X Factor week after week to see him take the stage in front of millions.

Even the cynical journalists of Northern Ireland’s local press gave their tacit support, principally by not laying into the youngster with too much gusto.

But underneath it all, many suspected that Eoghan's youth and fresh-faced innocence might see him crack under the spotlight and the weight of ambition heaped upon him by others.

In the event, he might not have clinched the top X Factor prize, but still managed a respectable third — no mean achievement considering the tens of thousands of entrants.

But the big test would always come once Eoghan had moved out of the protective umbrella of the X Factor and begun a solo career in earnest. What Eoghan lacked in true vocal strength and experience, he more than made up for in youthful enthusiasm.

Yet the savaging he has had in the music press over the past fortnight for his eponymous debut album would be enough to finish anyone.

Chief among the critical ring-masters is The Guardian, whose reviewer Peter Robinson has unequivocally labelled it “the worst album in the history of recorded sound”.

For Eoghan’s father Chris, the opinion of the Guardian is perfectly tailored to its readership.

“They’re just snobs, more or less” he said.

“Eoghan was an amateur boxer, so he can take the punches.”

But perhaps the most touchingly simple defence of Eoghan is that from his former headmistress in Dungiven, Anne Sands, who calmly and quietly told radio listeners yesterday: “People are actually buying this album. Eoghan’s fan base are mainly young girls between 10 and 16 and they are flooding into the shops to buy the album.”

This article is from The Belfast Telegraph