By June 1990 he was working at the University of London Union (ULU) alongside Ricky Gervais, who was also managing the then unknown and unsigned Suede.
Suede's last concert before their hiatus took place at the London Astoria on 13 December 2003 and was a two-and-a-half-hour marathon show, split into two parts plus encore, after which Gilbert became the drummer for a Bangkok band named Futon, with Into a Circle's Paul Hampshire.
Following persistent rumours, Saul Galpern officially announced on 15 January 2010 Suede would be playing together again at the Royal Albert Hall in London as part of the Teenage Cancer Trust shows on 24 March of that year.
The film was directed by the acclaimed Mike Christie, whose film-making career began while working with Suede during the band's 1993 collaboration with Derek Jarman.
Aside from vocalist Brett Anderson and bassist Mat Osman, Gilbert is the longest tenured member of Suede and has appeared on all the band's studio albums.