Nordoff Robbins Big Apple bands gig at The Garage to win New York trip Start spreading the news! I'm leaving today. I want to be a part of it - New York, New York... Can you love a city you've never visited? Whether its Sinatra's crooning, watching Kevin McAllister rampage through the Rockefeller Centre, Carrie Bradshaw's shoe collection or Tom Hanks playing floor piano at FAO Swarz Fifth Avenue, most of us grew up admiring the glitz, glamour and twinkling lights of New York City from afar. Now one lucky Scottish band will get the chance to visit New York to play at Scotland Week 2014 (yes, New York has Scotland Week - more reasons to love.) Nordoff Robbins, a national music charity that helps vulnerable adults and children, has shortlisted five emerging Scottish acts to compete for their Big Apple Award. The bands must battle it out on Wednesday, December 11, at The Garage to win the award and a trip of a lifetime. Here are the contenders fighting to gig at Scotland Week, New York 2014. The Holy Ghosts Billed as 'Edinburgh's Make-Me-Feel-Good Rock and Roll Band', The Holy Ghosts are Jack Sandison on acoustic guitar/vocals, Jon Mackenzie on electric guitar/vocals, Rory Penman on drums, Jonny Rapeseed on bass/vocals and Andy Barbour on harmonica/keyboards and pedal steel. This blend of folk, bluegrass and rock have already scooped the Scottish Alternative Music Awards Best Newcomer and supported Glasgow legends Alabama 3 at the O2 Academy. The LaFontaines The LaFontaines are another genre-blending band, this time fusing hip-hop, rock and pop in a Scottish brogue. This Motherwell band are comprised of Kerr Okan, John Gerard, Iain Findlay, Darren McCaughey and Jamie Keenan and played the BBC Introducing stage at T in the Park last year. Fatherson Quartet Fatherson are fresh from their I Am An Island tour visiting the outer regions of Scotland and in the past have supported acts such as Feeder. We caught up with them before their Glasgow gig in November: Cairn String Quartet Bringing classical music bang up to date is the Cairn String Quartet, who even manage to make Britney Spear's Toxic sound classy on their string instruments. They've played at the MOBO's with Professor Green and Emeli Sande at Glastonbury, T in the Park and on BBC Radio 1. Garden Of Elks Garden of Elks have played gigs such as Belladrum and Doune the Rabbit Hole festival. Don't watch the below video if you are an arachnophobe, do watch it if you don't mind big fat spiders and want to catch a glimpse of some familiar Glasgow sights. Entry to The Big Apple Award showdown is free, so pop down to The Garage to see which of these bands will get a bit at The Big Apple. To find out more about the work of Nordoff Robbins, visit their website.