NAZARETH'S agent is bringing almost 40 years of Rage to Dunfermline - and he couldn't be happier about it.

Vassilios 'Lucky' Maniatopoulos has been looking after the band for 10 years but he's also the drummer in a German power metal group that's coming here on Wednesday November 29.

Rage will bring the noise to PJ Molloys and he laughed: "Pete (Agnew) gave me this number and told me 'You're never going to be a rock story until you've been in the Dunfermline Press!"

The band - who sing in English - are a big deal on the continent and have been going since 1984, albeit with various changes to the line-up over the years.

Lucky, 49, said metalheads are in for a treat: "I love to play shows. If it's one person or 20,000 at a festival, I just love to play the drums and I love to sing.

Dunfermline Press: Nazareth agent Vassilios 'Lucky' Maniatopoulos (right) with his Rage bandmates. Nazareth agent Vassilios 'Lucky' Maniatopoulos (right) with his Rage bandmates. (Image: Oliver Bob)

"The crowd at PJs can expect to see a German power metal band that's about to mark its 40th anniversary.

"Pete and I have been friends for so long and when we decided to do a UK tour I called him and asked if there was any chance we could play in Dunfermline, as I've never been before.

READ MORE: Dunfermline's Nazareth are the most recorded Scottish band

"For 10 years he's been telling me about this place - he calls it a silent island in this crazy world, as they do 120 shows a year and he says it's somewhere calm to come back to - and now I'm going to finally see it, the bridges, the city and the people."

He continued: "Unfortunately Pete's away on tour but he's arranged for me to meet his family, he's given me addresses and places to visit, he's told me about the pub where he always goes - but not the name!

"And he said he'll be p***** off if I don't fulfil the plan and take photos of all the places he's told me to go to!"

Lucky added: "He's told me to listen carefully when people talk and said 'They don't all talk clearly like me'.

"I said 'You don't talk clearly at all!'".

Dunfermline Press: Pete Agnew from Nazareth told Lucky that Dunfermline was a silent island in this crazy world. Pete Agnew from Nazareth told Lucky that Dunfermline was a silent island in this crazy world. (Image: Pete Agnew)

Originally from Greece, the short version of his first name is Laki which he changed to 'Lucky' when was 13 as he "thought it'd be cool".

READ MORE: Pete Agnew on 30 years of gigs in Russia and Ukraine

It's why his company - which he started with pal Andreas Bob - is called the Lucky Bob agency.

It now has 12 employees, looks after 40 bands including Naz and has a £2m turnover, with Pete credited as playing a big part in their success.

He said: "I met him for the first time in 2004, almost 20 years ago. I was with my other band, I'm the singer in Tri State Corner, in Poland and we were doing some very small shows.

"We were about to drive home when I read in the newspaper that Nazareth were going to be there.

"I called the promoter, who I knew, and asked if we could come to the show."

However, when they got to the venue in Katowice he was told the gig had been cancelled as there'd been a mix-up and all the technical gear they needed hadn't been provided.

"I entered the tour bus, saw Pete was sitting there and I said 'Hello, we have a trailer outside with a lot of equipment that may suit your needs?'

Dunfermline Press: Among the rockers are Nazareth's Pete Agnew, second from left, with his friend and agent Lucky, third from left. Among the rockers are Nazareth's Pete Agnew, second from left, with his friend and agent Lucky, third from left. (Image: Vassilios 'Lucky' Maniatopoulos)

"Pete said 'If we can use this we can do our show and you can open for us if you want?'.

"He liked our band and after he came to say thanks for helping them he asked if we wanted to stay for the rest of the run, seven dates.

"We had to call and get extra time off our jobs but we toured with Nazareth and became friends. We've now done something like 60 support shows for them."

The friendship turned into a business partnership as Lucky continued: "In 2015 I created my company and called him and said 'Would you give me the chance to book one show?'.

"He said 'You can book one tour for us but if you f*** it up ...'.

"That was nine years and 400 shows ago.

"Without Pete's help, and Rage, this company would never have reached that level."

Rage will be supported by COP UK, from Sheffield, and Italian rockers Secret Rule.

Go to Ticketweb for tickets and further information.