Having previously drummed for Robbie Williams on the Life Thru a Lens album and tours, Barnard joined Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros after Ged Lynch left. Barnard drummed on the “Forbidden City” track of the Rock Art and the X-Ray Style album.

Following the Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros debut gig at the Sheffield Leadmill on 5 June 1999 The Mescaleros toured extensively throughout the UK, Europe, Canada, US and Japan for the next six months. Further tours followed in early 2000 that included Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. The final night of a ten-date British tour supporting The Who, at Wembley Arena in November 2000, proved to be his last for The Mescaleros.

In 2001, along with Johnny Wilks, formed one*iota, who later became King Louis. Barnard drummed for The Mock Turtles on their return to the charts in 2003 and is currently drumming for Archive, who though relatively unknown in Britain are reaching massive proportions on mainland Europe.

In 2009 Smiley joined fellow Mescaleros Pablo Cook, who together with Mike Peters (The Alarm), Derek Forbes (Simple Minds) and Steve Harris (Archive/Gary Numan) formed Los Mondo Bongo, and have toured the UK, Canada and elsewhere celebrating the music of Joe Strummer.

In 2010 Smiley replaced Steve Grantley (Stiff Little Fingers) as the drummer in the The Alarm. He drummed on the latest Alarm album, The Sound and The Fury.

In 2013 Smiley played alongside original The Jam member Bruce Foxton when he took over drums from Mark Brzezicki in From The Jam.