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Writing Timeline
| Date | Title | Theme |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Feb 2016 | LEIA: How To Be Single | Advice |
| 7 Aug 2015 | What It's Like Not Being White | Essays |
| 6 Jul 2014 | All About Laila | Career |
Tape Parade reads like a personal journal kept by a London musician, organised less like a magazine and more like a well-loved scrapbook. The dark interface and tightly packed thumbnails give the impression of an archive rather than a feed, encouraging visitors to scroll through old posts the way they might flick through stacked cassettes. Each card carries a date, a category tag, and a short title, so the rhythm of writing becomes visible at a glance. The result is a site that treats blogging as an ongoing record, with every entry preserved in its original order and context rather than reshaped by an algorithm.</item>
Categories such as Adventures, Clothes, Career, Christmas, Animals, Food, Pubs, Museums, Travel, and Performing suggest a writer who is equally interested in outfits, gigs, and the small observations that fill a day out in the city. Pop culture writing about Sailor Moon and Steven Universe sits alongside career notes and essays, hinting at a voice that moves easily between personal reflection and cultural commentary. The mix of theme tags gives the archive a conversational feel, as if the writer is sorting lived experience into friendly folders. Reading the categories together paints a portrait of someone curious, sociable, and unafraid to share both triumphs and awkward moments with an audience that has grown alongside the project.</item>
The timeline view, which lists entries by date with their themes beside them, reinforces the sense of a long-running project rather than a polished publication. Posts cluster around December and seasonal markers, with summer and autumn entries appearing in between, mirroring the natural cadence of a working musician's year. Because the dates and titles are presented in plain, almost archival style, the archive invites comparison across years, showing how the same themes return in slightly different forms. This layout choice treats the blog itself as a kind of instrument, one that records change over time and lets readers hear the subtle shifts in tone, subject, and confidence that mark each new chapter.</item>
Aesthetics on the site lean towards a utilitarian, media-library look that suits the musical subject matter. Near-black backgrounds and off-white text create strong contrast for reading, while a single bright accent colour draws attention to links, tags, and buttons without overwhelming the content. Sans-serif typography keeps the pages feeling modern and unfussy, and the slight rounding on cards and buttons softens what could otherwise be a very austere grid. Subtle borders and dividers separate the header, sidebar, and main column, giving the layout structure without resorting to heavy shadows. The overall effect is closer to a well-organised backstage shelf than to a glossy magazine spread.</item>
Running through the design and the writing alike is an emphasis on honesty, longevity, and reader conversation. Topics range from dating and friendships to feminist discussion and rural weekends, and the writing style appears to welcome comments and shared experiences rather than polished authority. The archive span of several years suggests a commitment to documenting life as it happens, including the uncomfortable or contradictory moments. By keeping the visual treatment restrained and the navigation straightforward, the site lets the writing carry the personality, inviting visitors to settle in, browse the categories that catch their eye, and follow the slow accumulation of a musician's life lived out loud.</item>