Steve Barnard, also known as Smiley, began playing music at a young age and his first major success as a drummer was in 1997–1998, when he was the drummer for Robbie Williams' solo debut album, single B-sides and tours Life thru a Lens.

[3][4] Afterwards, Barnard joined the rock/electronica band Archive, which turned into a long-term collaboration spanning along several albums and film soundtracks.

[8] In 2010, he played in the band Los Mondo Bongo, formed by Mike Peters to celebrate the music of Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros.

Subsequently, he joined Peters' band The Alarm on a full-time basis, another long-term collaboration.

[10] Barnard is also a music producer at his studio, Sunshine Corner Studios, where he produced several artists and released eight albums of his songs including collaborations with musicians like Bruce Foxton, Steve Norman, Richard Archer, James Stevenson, Ian McNabb.