Steam Radio

Steam Radio is an independent, community-run station in Manchester, broadcasting from OverDraught in Levenshulme. Its programme brings together resident selectors and independently made shows, with music chosen by the people contributing to the station. The current broadcast pattern centres on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and an extensive programme archive offers another way to follow individual hosts.

The project began during the first lockdown of 2020 as a way of keeping people connected when meeting in person was impossible. It later became associated with the Old Abbey Taphouse in Hulme. The closure of that venue interrupted the station's activity, and Steam's own account describes an eight-month break before its return. Levenshulme is its new home, rather than a second name for the earlier Hulme base.

The June 2026 relaunch at OverDraught brought daytime radio and an evening gathering into the same venue. Residents including Gardenatrix, Bodipa, Isms, Scran for the Soul and Jarvis Bitcoin contributed sets to the launch event. The station described a community of more than 60 resident shows, giving its return a broader programme base than the line-up for that single celebration.

Its published archive includes NoPopNoStyle with Keith Marley and KHI-P's Corner with Benwa and Skot3ree. The latter's hip-hop focus illustrates how individual programmes develop their own musical territory within the station. Steam's identity comes from these resident-led selections and its connection with Manchester's independent music community, with the radio and its in-person events supporting the same local project.