This edition of Punk Rock BOPS dives straight into Rotterdam’s gloriously chaotic underground with The Smackbar, a band who turn trashy garage swagger into something strangely artful and completely irresistible. Their new track Donnie Giovanni is loud, weird, political, and proudly unpolished. It is punk that remembers punk should be fun, furious, and a bit absurd.

The Smackbar – Donnie Giovanni

The Smackbar deliver punk that is wild, fearless, and defiantly original. Donnie Giovanni is the kind of track only The Smackbar could make.”

Rotterdam’s own The Smackbar return with Donnie Giovanni, a frantic burst of garage punk that snarls, grins, and refuses to sit still. Built on a fat, distorted riff and a blitz of chaotic energy, the track arrives alongside a bizarre, anti bullfighting video packed with homemade props, puppets, and offbeat visual madness that has become the group’s signature.

The Smackbar are more than a band. They are a full art collective, working with Eruption Artistique to create dense, visually surreal worlds around their music. Every costume, every prop, every bit of special effects magic is crafted by hand, echoing the band’s DIY ethos. Frontman Emil leads the charge with raw vocals and a charismatic edge while Sara, Rotterdam teacher and alternative songwriter Bas, and the wider creative team push the sound and visuals into new, unpredictable directions.

Donnie Giovanni is one half of a double single the band spent over a year shaping. It is messy in the best way, blending punk ferocity with theatrical flair, giving listeners something that feels both nostalgic and freshly unhinged. If you want punk that still feels dangerous, still feels handmade, and still feels like a group of artists throwing themselves in with absolute conviction, The Smackbar are your band.