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Sunday evening in Wivenhoe: a bonkers film exploring Cardiff and Patagonia connections through the international language of screaming, chips “blessed by God” down by the Quay and then five lads from Wivenhoe who shook, um, the Station Hotel with some rock ‘n roll music.

Any old way you choose - it’s not exactly your typical Essex Bank Holiday experience.

Blimey.

To the Philip Road Centre first for a screening of Separado! as part of the Moving Image May Fair weekender schedule of films. The black out curtains just about survived the late afternoon sunshine streaming in from the High Street. Sadly my tired and emotional state from the night before didn’t as I battled with a back and forth head rocking motion and sleep deprivation.

Missing the odd stolen seconds here and there didn’t exactly aid me with the mad as a wet hen story about searching for your musical roots in deepest Patagonia. The plot centres on Gruf Rhyss of the Super Furries going in search of his long lost exiled wing of his Welsh family over in Argentina.

A “horse race that went wrong” in the 18th Century was the reason behind the exodus. The outcome is that there will always be a corner of South Wales somewhere in South America with a penchant for crazed pagan psychedelic music. Passing this message on in an old school hall in Wivenhoe on a Sunday evening somehow just about made artistic sense.

Music may be the food of love, but with an evening of booze to follow, it was that time of the evening when a young man in Wivenhoe goes in search of chips. With the pneumatic recovering houseguest for the weekend looking a little pale around the gills after an afternoon stretch out towards Alresford, we punched the air in celebration when strolling along East Street and found that Papa’s was still frying.

The conversation within is always lively and worthy of your loose change alone for the entertainment value. Never mix religion and politics, but mixing secular beliefs with a big fat saveloy seemed right of a Sunday evening.

Refueled and ready to rock, The Station Hotel was next on the set list. Dan, Daryl, Martin, Phil and Roddy were performing for one night only (actually there may be more to come…) The Beatles back catalogue with a Wivenhoe twist.

I wouldn’t go as far as calling it WivRock, but the punk take on the traditional standards seemed to fit the spirit of the occasion. Unofficially a May Fair warm up, The Station became Shea Stadium (seriously) with She Loves You through to Hey Jude being carried along on a wave of pre-May Fair anticipation and five pints of Carlsberg.

With the town about to change beyond all recognition for Bank Holiday Monday, this was a Wivenhoe moment, with many familiar faces welcoming the May Fair madness that is about to come.

The recovering pneumatic houseguest is as confused as he is enthused.

“Is this what you do every Sunday evening around these North Essex parts?”

Oh no - Antiques Roadshow, Evensong and half shandy in The Greyhound is my usual Sunday evening exuberance. That’s enough to make anyone look a little pale around the gills.

God knows what he’s gonna make of May Fair…