13th Chime formed in 1980 in Haverhill, Suffolk. 13th Chime were born out of the British Punk scene and released three independent singles in 1981/1982: Coffin Maker, Cursed and Fire. The original band members were Mick Hand, Gary O’Connor, Terry Taylor and Ricky Cook. Rob Shaul (keyboards) and David Middle (vocals) also spent a small amount of time playing with the band. They are all part of a family of musicians who have continued to make music in a range of bands right through to today.
In 2006, New York based record label Sacred Bones Record released the 13th Chime back catalogue. In 2015, Mick Hand the singer of the group reformed the group, recruiting Rob Shawl (guitar) and David Middle (drums) back into the group. They were joined by Jon Rickard (bass), who played bass with fellow early Cambridge 80’s goth rockers The Final Scream.
Since reforming, 13th Chime has played selected gigs in Russia, Poland and the US. Further gigs are booked in Germany and Poland. The group released a new single called Witchtree Lane and have new material available soon